A distracted driver lost control of the tractor he was driving Thursday afternoon about four-miles south of Emerson, causing the machine to enter a ditch and hit a power pole. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says 32-year old Curtis Frazer, of Hastings, was driving a 2011 New Holland Tractor that was pulling a grain cart, when he reached for his cell phone that fell off the seat.

When Frazer reached down, the tractor veered toward the ditch, and by the time he tried to over-correct its path, it was too late. The tractor hit the power pole, causing it to snap-off, and continued into a corn field before coming to rest. The power lines laid down on the grain cart. A utility crew had to remove the lines before Frazer could be removed from the tractor and treated.

He suffered injuries to his right leg and ankle, and cuts from broken glass. Frazer was transported by Red Oak Rescue to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital. Damage to the tractor, owned by William Frazee, of Emerson, was estimated at $17,000.