Roll Over Protection Fatality File

Part-time Farmer Dies Following a Tractor Rollover in West Virginia

A 74-year-old male part-time farmer (victim) died of injuries sustained when the tractor he was driving rolled over while mowing. The victim was using a 1965 Ford 3000 wide front-end configured tractor. The tractor was equipped with a side mount sickle-bar cutting attachment. With his left rear wheel on the downhill side, he was traversing a slope exceeding a 50% grade (27 degrees). The speed of travel was unknown, but his right wheels ran over a woodchuck mound which increased the grade to approximately 60% (31 degrees). This shift placed the tractor’s C.G. outside of the tractor’s stability baseline, causing it to roll downhill to the left and land on the victim. The tractor did not have a ROPS or a seat belt. The victim’s son-in-law came out to the field to check on the victim and found him lying on the ground shortly after being struck-by the tractor. He called EMS which arrived within minutes and transported the victim to a medical center where he died approximately 3 hours later.