On Monday 19 October just before 3pm, emergency services were alerted to a tractor roll over on private property in New Gisborne.
Firefighters were confronted with a small, front end loader that had rolled onto its side trapping a man in his fifties by his foot under the rear wheel.
The man was driving the tractor across a paddock on a slight slope before it rolled over. The bucket stopped it rolling further onto the fitted rollover protection structure (ROPS).
Incident Controller Lieutenant Mark Carter said the first priority was to secure the tractor so it didn’t cause further injury to the man and emergency services personnel.
“Working alongside Gisborne SES, we secured the tractor to a nearby tree by using a hand winch. Once secured we deflated the rear tyre and used shovels to dig around the wheel to free the driver’s foot,” Mark Carter said.
The man, who had minor injuries, was taken to hospital by ambulance.
Police also attended the scene.
