Farmer pinned by tractor for 20 hours

Farmer pinned by tractor recovering in Castlebar


Michael Commins

A farmer who spent close to 20 hours pinned to the ground by a tractor wheel is making a good recovery in Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar. Martin Devaney from Erritt, Gorthaganny, a few miles from Ballyhaunis, was discovered by a neighbour who became concerned when he heard the noise of a tractor over a sustained period of time and went down the field to check if all was okay.
It is understood that Martin, who is in his late 60s, was on his land around 3pm on the Saturday when his hand got stuck under the tractor wheel as it rolled back. He was unable to release it as he was face-down at the time. He remained there through the bitter cold night until, fortunately, an alert neighbour found him around 10am the next morning.
The emergency services were called and Martin was freed from his ordeal. He was taken by ambulance to Castlebar where it is understood he has since undergone some corrective surgery on the injured hand.
“He’s a very lucky man to have survived the incident,” said a neighbour. “It was bad enough to be pinned down by the tractor but to have to survive the cold and discomfort was horrible”.