(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Guthrie County report a man was injured during a tractor rollover accident last Friday afternoon off N. 6th Street Place, near Panora. Authorities say a small farm tractor with a front end loader attachment was hauling a large rock and attempting to move it. When the tractor backed across the roadway and onto some grass. Authorities believe the weight of the rock in the front loader caused the back tires to lose traction on the dry grass. The machine proceeded in reverse downhill, without the ability to stop.

The operator of the tractor, 65-year-old Howie Eugene Hockenberry, of Guthrie Center, took evasive action and spun the front tires around. His action, officials say, caused the tractor to overturn an unknown number of times. Hockenberry was pinned under the tractor, but managed to get himself removed through his own strength. He suffered significant injuries, though, and was transported to the Guthrie County Hospital helicopter landing zone by Panora EMS. From there, he was flown by helicopter to Iowa Methodist Medical Center, in Des Moines.

The accident happened at around 12:10-p.m., Friday. Damage to the Ford 901 tractor was estimated at $1,500.  The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Guthrie Center Fire Department and Iowa State Patrol.