Man Rescued After Pinned Under Tractor
By: Nora Hartfeil
Updated: October 14, 2012
"As soon as I turned the corner, I rolled down my window and heard the 'help guy'", says Leon.
Leon tells us that man told him he was 69-years old and needed an ambulance.
"He was talking to me. He asked for water and we gave him some water. He was taking it pretty good. But I felt helpless, not being able to move the truck off of him", Leon explains.
A ten thousand pound tractor tipped over on top the man, pinning his legs. It took 16 Abilene Firefighters and a tow truck to rescue the man.
"Initially he was stable. Our crews did a great job keeping the tractor stable from causing any more injury to the man", says Chief Clark of Abilene Fire.
After probably the longest 45 minutes of the man's life, he was released from the five-ton tractor and taken to the hospital. One bystander says she saw the pinned man moving his hands and talking as firefighters and EMTs surrounded him.
"They hooked an IV up to him and were just making sure he was OK. But so far he's conscious", says Kaitlin Dodson.
Also on the scene, a leaking propane tank, which appeared to have fallen off a nearby trailer pulled by a pickup. Police are not saying if there is any connection between the two vehicles.
The Abilene Fire Department tells us the man is in stable condition at a nearby hospital.

