A hayride carrying a dozen people through Columbus, New York, ended in a mangled wreck Saturday evening when the tractor pulling them lost control on a hill, flipped, and left its 70-year-old driver trapped underneath with injuries so severe that doctors had to amputate his hand. A 9-year-old boy and a 47-year-old woman were also thrown from the wagon but suffered only minor injuries.
According to newportdispatch.com, the crash was reported around 6:32 p.m. on October 10 on Granville Hill Hardscrabble Road. Donald G. Campbell, 70, of Sherburne, was driving a 2000 Kubota farm tractor pulling a hay wagon loaded with 12 passengers when the trouble began. The wagon riders ranged in age from 3 to 62 years old, according to The Evening Sun.
As the tractor and wagon traveled eastbound down a hill, they began picking up speed, the same report notes. Campbell tried to brake, but the tractor's wheels locked instead of slowing it down, sending the rig skidding across the roadway.
Tractor Jackknifed, Trapping the Driver
The sudden skid caused the tractor to jackknife and the hay wagon to break free, the Evening Sun reported. The tractor then rolled onto its side, ejecting Campbell and pinning him underneath — a sequence of events also described by syracuse.com, which reported that “the tractor rolled on its side, ejecting the driver, who became trapped underneath.”
The detached hay wagon also tipped onto its side, throwing the 9-year-old boy and the 47-year-old woman from their seats. Both suffered only minor injuries and were treated at the scene rather than taken to a hospital, per the Evening Sun's account.
Sherburne and Smyrna fire departments were dispatched to free Campbell from beneath the overturned tractor. Sherburne EMS then transported him to Wynn Hospital in Utica, where he was treated for serious head and arm injuries. Those arm injuries ultimately led doctors to amputate his hand, newportdispatch.com reported.
State Police Lead Ongoing Investigation
New York State Police at Norwich responded to the scene and are leading the investigation, with the Chenango County Sheriff's Office assisting, according to the Evening Sun. Per police, Campbell was trapped underneath the tractor, and the crash injured three people total, with Campbell's injuries resulting in the hand amputation. No tickets were reported, and syracuse.com noted that the investigation remains ongoing.
The Columbus crash echoes a recent upstate hayride scare that drew wider attention. Earlier this month, a wagon carrying 20 young people in Wellsburg was involved in a separate incident after a hitch connecting the wagon to the tractor snapped, throwing passengers, as reported by The New York Times.
A separate state investigation into a fatal tractor overturn, conducted under New York's Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation program, recommended that agricultural tractors be equipped with rollover protective structures and seatbelts, and that tractor brakes be routinely inspected and maintained for uniform operation, according to health.ny.gov. No determination on Campbell's tractor or brakes has been released as the Columbus investigation continues.
