An 87-year-old Abbotsford farmer was killed Monday afternoon after the tractor he was driving rolled over, police say.
Officers responded to a call at about 2:30 p.m. reporting that a passerby in the 4700-block Mount Lehman Road had seen a tractor roll over onto its driver, Const. Ian MacDonald said.
Emergency crews tried to free the driver, who was pinned under the machine, but he was later pronounced dead on scene.
Though MacDonald would not release the driver’s name, the farm is owned by Jeanette and Murray McDonald, records from the B.C. Assessment Report show.
Tractor accidents are the leading causes of death on B.C. farms, according to WorkSafe BC.
All tractors should have some form of protection, such as a cab or rollbar, to prevent death should the machine tip over, said Bruce Johnson, executive director of the Farm and Ranch Safety and Health Association in Langley.
“If they don’t have it,” Johnson said, “then they should not be operating on slopes where they may roll over.”
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.