Two killed in separate tractor accidents
A nurseryman was killed over the weekend when his tractor plummeted into a ravine, leaving him trapped under the wreckage for a day before he was found by a family member.
His death was the first of two fatal accidents involving tractors in a three-day period as another local businessman was killed Tuesday morning off Sparta Highway when a tractor fell on him while he was working on the piece of farm machinery.
The victim in the weekend accident, Michael Ernest Smartt, 44, was found dead in the bottom of the ravine located just off Yager Road early Saturday evening. Lawmen suspect Smartt had been in the ravine since the day before as he was last accounted for when he told his mother he was going to work on the nursery on Friday afternoon. He was found around 9 p.m. Saturday by relatives who were walking the nursery property boundaries after becoming concerned no one had heard from him.
The victim was found lying along with his John Deere 790 tractor at the bottom of the steep ravine located at his nursery (Smartt’s Nursery and Greenhouse) which is located just outside the city limits on a straight stretch of Yager Road.
According to Sheriff Jackie Matheny, investigators suspect Smartt, who was working alone spraying his acreage atop the tractor, got too close to the slope, causing his tractor to become top heavy and roll over into the ravine, likely striking him as it rolled to the bottom. The victim and tractor came to rest in a densely covered and deep area of the ravine, preventing him from being seen by passing motorists during the day even though the tractor was just a few yards from the main road. Matheny said he does not know if the nurseryman was killed immediately, although it was noted he did suffer considerable injuries in the rollover.
Smartt’s death was followed Tuesday morning by the death of a Harlan Tenpenny, 58, who employees found crushed under a lift around 9 a.m. at his business (D & H Equipment). An employee reported leaving for a short time to get a radiator and finding Tenpenny, already deceased, when he returned minutes later. Matheny said it appeared the lift supporting the tractor failed, trapping the victim beneath its weight when it collapsed. His death was believed to be instantaneous from the accident.