Man dies in tractor accident
A 97-year-old rural Durham man died Monday afternoon after he was pinned under a small tractor.
Harry Decker, of 312 330th Road, was driving a WD45 Alice Chalmers tractor with attached mower when the tractor overturned and went down a 10-foot ravine, according to Marion County Sheriff Lee Becker.
The incident occurred just before 2 p.m.
Decker was pinned underneath the tractor's steering wheel, Becker said. The man's sons freed their father from the tractor by digging out the soil underneath him.
Tampa EMS responded to the scene and performed CPR on Decker, but they were unable to revive him. Decker was pronounced dead at the scene.
The exact cause of death hasn't yet been determined, but preliminary coroner reports suggest that a medical condition — possibly a heart attack — may have caused Decker to lose control of the tractor, allowing it to overturn.
The Life Team helicopter was dispatched to the scene, then called off, Becker said.
Crews from Durham, Lincolnville, and Marion County rescue all responded to the scene.
