woman looses arms with posthole digger
- Thread starter Sackett2
- Start date
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Cidertom
Gold Member
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2005
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- 478
- Location
- Benton Co Oregon
- Tractor
- JD 4520, 2305 Aktive snow-trac ST4
Sad:
Several bad choices caused this incident
No particular order
Bolt holding the auger to the the drive extended over 3 inches past the coupling.
(we think that was the initial thing that caught her sweatshirt)
Placing the PTO in gear getting off the tractor.
Pulling down on the auger head to cause it to dig into hard pan.
Doing the job alone.
it took us about 30 minutes to get her untangled. Overall though it went fairly well (looking from a system point of view) from the 911 call to the OR 120 miles away an hour and a half.
Several bad choices caused this incident
No particular order
Bolt holding the auger to the the drive extended over 3 inches past the coupling.
(we think that was the initial thing that caught her sweatshirt)
Placing the PTO in gear getting off the tractor.
Pulling down on the auger head to cause it to dig into hard pan.
Doing the job alone.
it took us about 30 minutes to get her untangled. Overall though it went fairly well (looking from a system point of view) from the 911 call to the OR 120 miles away an hour and a half.
Sniggle
Silver Member
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- Jan 27, 2008
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- 233
- Location
- Jefferson County, WV
- Tractor
- 2003 Kubota B7800 (new to me @ 435 hours
This is timely as I am in the midst of digging numerous post holes. I have been careful, but this will reinforce my caution.
I feel for the woman and her family.
I feel for the woman and her family.
Bird
Rest in Peace
That's a sad tragedy.
gemini5362
Veteran Member
One of the women I work with almost had the same thing happen to her. She got very lucky. She was digging post holes and she got off the tractor with it running and grabbed the bar to help put downward leverage on the post hole digger. Her shirt got caught in the drive shaft and started pulling her into it. Just as she got up to the drive shaft the shirt ripped apart and the driveshaft pulled it off of her. I have dug several post holes with my tractor and not once have I ever felt the need to get off of my tractor to assist the digger. If I cant get through the spot I am in. I shut the tractor off and pour water in the hole then wait a while and try again. If that dont work I move the tractor to a spot a bit further down and try again.
OP
Sackett2
Platinum Member
Wow, thats a major point to all who use a tractor. Don't get off it without thinking about your actions. As I was brush hogging a few weeks ago, i was often off away from others in the forest. If something suspicious came from the hog, I would raise the unit, turn off the PTO, set the brake, maybe kill the engine if I thought I'd need to do something; other than that a visual inspection I'd idle it down. My arms, My life are not worth the risk.
Thank you Cidertom for your volunteer fireman service.
Kyle_in_Tex
Super Star Member
An older man in Lagrange Texas lost his life when his trousers got caught up in the auger.
tb8100
Silver Member
Wow, scary. This is a good reminder for us not to wear loose clothing around tractors and watch what we're doing.
Flatheadyoungin
Veteran Member
ah, now i know why there are big plastic bellhousings around the driveshaft u-joints.......i'm serious, i thought they were annoying.......
man, this is a sad, sad story...........be careful!
man, this is a sad, sad story...........be careful!
bjcsc
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2007
- Messages
- 559
- Location
- Johns Island, SC
- Tractor
- JD 5225, JD 555B, JD 333E, JD 225DLC
Good procedure, but a better one would be to let the mower blades come to a stop with the mower on the ground and then pick it up to inspect it. What if the something suspicious is a loose blade or something wedged in under there? If I hear something suspicious, I turn the PTO off immediately, lower the mower all the way and then drive forward a bit so the blades get slowed by the grass. I look over my shoulder until I see the everything has stopped, then I raise the mower, shut down the tractor and have a look. Maybe a bit overkill, but it's OK with me. I never get down if anything is in motion back there - no matter what.
I feel sorry for that woman. Farming mistakes have such dire consequences...