LaGrange farmer crushed by tractor

[Rara Avis]

LaGrange farmer crushed by tractor, suffers several broken bones — Penobscot — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine

LAGRANGE, Maine A Smith Road cattle farmer suffered several broken bones when he got crushed by a tractor he accidentally kicked into gear while dismounting, officials said Wednesday.

N17 Cattle Co. owner William Nunnally, 40, caught a pant leg on the gearshift and went under a wheel of the multi-ton tractor on Tuesday, said Corporal Darren Mason of the Penobscot County Sheriff's Department.

The tractor did quite a bit of damage to the lower part of his body, LaGrange Fire Chief Michael Bacon said Wednesday.

The accident was reported at 7:45 p.m. A LifeFlight helicopter took Nunnally to Eastern Maine Medical Center, where he was in stable condition following surgery on Wednesday.

The farm is on a narrow, pitted dirt road off Bennoch Road and Pine Grove Lane. The rough road and consideration for the terrible pain Nunnally was suffering forced a Mayo Hospital ambulance to take almost 1½ hours to travel about 1,200 feet to the helicopter, which had landed in a farm field on Bennoch, Bacon said.

Chris Richards, a part-time worker at N17, described the accident as a freak occurrence.

Nunnally, who lives at the farm, operates the tractor every day and had just used it to move a bale of hay to feed his horses, Richards said.

"He's a father of three and he's trying to build this farm for his family," Richards said.

 

[CalG]

We can wish him an his family all the best. He survived! Unfortunate too is the dreary statistics of "loosing the farm" after a serious tractor related injury.

 

[rustyshakelford]

No excuse it took 90 minutes to travel 1200'. Give him some ketamine and 4pt the back board. That's crazy to have that helicopter on the ground for so long and make him wait with probable internal injuries. Sometimes you have to leave the comfort of the a/c in the medic unit and hump it on foot

Brett

 

[oldballs]

Watch those pant legs guys. I've been there and done that without a serious accident. Sometime ( if not really hot) I band the pant legs to avoid the possible snag. Heck even the hammer loop on bibs or work pants have caught on control handles etc. Sometimes I cut that darn loop off to avoid that as well.

 

[aczlan]

No excuse it took 90 minutes to travel 1200'. Give him some ketamine and 4pt the back board. That's crazy to have that helicopter on the ground for so long and make him wait with probable internal injuries. Sometimes you have to leave the comfort of the a/c in the medic unit and hump it on foot

Brett

I agree. Probably more comfortable for him to have 4-6 people carry a backboard than ride in an ambulance...


Aaron Z

 

[PJSprog]

This happened to one of my cousins in the early '80s, although different circumstances. He was plowing and lost his balance while leaning over to look at something, and fell in front of the rear wheel, which broke his pelvis. Fortunately, he was able to roll out of the way before the plow arrived. He made a full recovery, but spent the majority of that summer in a wheel chair.

 

[Thomas]

Dang...speedy recovery thoughts/prayers.

 

[Mace Canute]

I've had shoe laces catch and darn near send me tumbling head first and even a glove with gauntlet snagging on a lever has caused me grief also, but I try to not be in a hurry getting on or off a tractor and that has given me the time needed to take corrective action and I don't have as much momentum if I am going slow. Making sure I have a firm grip on handholds and taking deliberate movements is an old holdover from when I climbed transmission towers in my days as a Lineman.

 

[CalG]

I agree. Probably more comfortable for him to have 4-6 people carry a backboard than ride in an ambulance...


Aaron Z

I do Mountain rescue at a nearby ski area all winter. I've had many broken pelvis incidents, I would never accept time so long over "patient comfort". The golden hour is passing.

 

[Wagtail]

Make & model of the tractor was not mentioned (no, I'm not making a joke). However;

A working Operator In Seat switch would have shut the tractor down immediately once the gear lever shifted.

I hope that he comes through this OK. I also hope that he had medical insurance.