Inspection Detail

Inspection: 125795559 - Houghton

Inspection Information - Office: Sacramento District Office

Investigation Summary

On the morning of January 31, 1998, Employee #1 was engaged in his regular chores at a ranch in Penryn, CA. He was driving the ranch's 1-ton, dual truck down a hill to the barn when it became stuck in the mud. Employee #1 retrieved a 1952 Ford MD 8-NC farm tractor and stopped it about 30 ft in front of the truck; he then attached a cable and chain between the truck and the back of the tractor. Employee #1 was trying to pull the truck out of the mud when, as he stepped on the gas, the tractor's front end rose off the ground and continued over backward, landing on top of him and breaking his neck. He was found by his wife when she returned home later that day. The Penryn Fire Department , the California Highway Patrol, and the Placer County Sheriff/Coroner's office all responded. Employee #1 was pronounced dead at the scene.

Keywords: FRACTURE, VEHICLE, FARM MACHINERY, STUCK VEHICLE, TRUCK, NECK, TRACTOR, OVERTURN