A John Deere break-up at prom

Jim Cummings April 15, 2007 08:31 pm

— In what may go down as a first, even for a rural community, a young prom-goer was run over by his own tractor turned hay ride as he dropped friends off Saturday at Greensburg Elementary school.
The 16-year-old male pulled up to the school’s door, discharged his classmates who were decked out in flowing dresses and tuxedos, and was moving the farm tractor out of the way of the limousines and rented hot-rods when he had an adverse medical reaction.
At 7:19 p.m., the tractor was pulling a flat-bed wagon with several bales of straw down the middle of the wagon. According to witnesses and the driver, it appears his medical event, possibly a seizure, caused him to fall to the ground on the left side of the tractor. He hit his head on the flywheel cover as he fell. After falling to the ground, the left rear tire of the tractor ran over his stomach.
The driver was transported to the Decatur County Memorial Hospital by EMS where he was x-rayed for possible broken ribs and internal injuries. He also suffered a cut on his forehead and to his leg. No other updates were available but the injuries were not life-threatening.
The John Deere Model-A tractor, owned by the Ziegler family, continued moving without a driver until someone near the mishap used quick thinking to jump on board and bring it to a halt.
The incident caused quite a commotion as fire engines and an ambulance blocked the entrance to the elementary school just as hundreds of students were arriving at the dance. Eventually, it was cleared up and the prom went off without a hitch. The after-prom also was held without any further complications.
The investigation was led by Officer Mike McNealy, assisted by Sgt. Eric Blodgett, Officer Rudy Perez, Officer Jarrod McCalvin and Lt. Bruce Copple.
The Greensburg Fire Department also assisted at the scene.
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