09/September/2020 – Over-turned Tractor with Entrapment – “C” Shift

Incident # 20-06190 – A 94 yr. old Smoaks man was trapped under his tractor after the piece of equipment rolled down an embankment Wednesday afternoon 09-September. At 15:22, Fire-Rescue was dispatched to the 100 block of Lodge Hwy. (SC Hwy 217) in the Town of Smoaks. The gentleman was working alone, mowing grass on a dike surrounding a large pond when the tractor apparently got too close to the edge and overturned. It landed at the water’s edge pinning the man’s leg under the tractor and the side cutter. Fortunately he had a cell phone with him and was able to call for assistance. Firefighter-Paramedics stationed in Smoaks arrived quickly and were met at the road by friends and family who directed them approximately 900 feet along the dike to the where the tractor was located. The man was found to be in stable condition. Crews used shovels to begin digging under the tractor in an attempt to free the man’s leg. Rescue tools and air bags were deemed inadequate due to the water and mud. Equipment was hauled into the location in pickup trucks. The winch on one vehicle was rigged to a tree and a backhoe was also brought to the scene from a nearby farm, but crewmembers were able to dig out enough mud to free the man after about 30 minutes. He was secured to a backboard and carried up the embankment and placed in a Fire-Rescue pickup truck. He was transported out through a field to a waiting Fire-Rescue Ambulance. Medic 7 transported him to Colleton Medical Center for further treatment of his injuries. Additional heavy equipment from a farm was brought to the scene to recover the tractor. Once pulled up the embankment and the fluids were checked, the tractor was started and driven back to the farm.