ENDERBY – After suffering a serious accident last November, a young North Okanagan woman is sharing her story hoping it will help others. It’s part of a WorkSafeBC initiative aimed at preventing future injuries involving tractors or pieces of equipment.
“If I can share my story and share the dangers of working around this equipment that you’ve worked around a million times before and even if it just helps one person or one family get through something or prevents something from happening I think it is worthwhile,” says Devon Smith.
She is now back on her family’s farm but her physical scars still tell the story of the injuries she sustained in an early November accident. That day she and her father Allan had gone out to fix a fence using a post hole auger.
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“We were having a good day. She just finished saying to me that we only got two more posts to do and we are going to go out riding,” recalls Allan.
While Devon quickly went unconscious and doesn’t remember the accident, Allan still recalls his daughter getting tangled in the power take off shaft that carries power from the tractor to the auger.
“Her jacket was completely wrapped around it. I ended up having to cut the jacket off. It was literally shredded off her back, her clothes were shredded off her back,” says Allan.
She suffered a long list of injuries in the accident and spent weeks in hospital.
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Although Devon wasn’t at work at the time of the accident, WorkSafeBC is highlighting her case as part of a new initiative to prevent injuries connected to tractors and equipment.
WorkSafeBC resources on tractor and equipment safety can be accessed here.
Devon is still dealing with the fallout from her accident but is already back to her normal life in many ways. She is back at work and back riding her horse.
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