Farm tractor-rail crash disaster: a case report

This paper present a dramatic farm tractor rail crash disaster happened at a rail crossing in Romania in 2012. A 78 y.o. farm tractor driver was going to the fields with 17 daily workers in the trailer and the train struck directly on the trailer and the passengers were thrown out and fall on the ground in a ray of 30m. As consequence of this traffic accident 7 young adults died on site, one victim died during the helicopter transfer and another nine person were injured; the farm tractor driver, the train driver and all the train passengers remained uninjured. The autopsies revealed different types of body injuries: 2 victims presented massive blunt trauma injuries of head, thorax and abdomen; 3 other victims presented crash of the head, vertebro-medullary trauma (cervical and thoracic level), multiple lacerations of thoracic and abdominal organs and multiple limb’s fractures as results of a combination of a direct high velocity impact, the consequent projection of the bodies on the ground and also the compression under the trailer was contributing; 2 victims presented extensive mutilations of body parts as result of the train wheels action. During investigation the farm tractor driver affirmed he was passing the rail crossing without checking the rail line. The most relevant contributory factor in this farm tractor train crash was the negligence of an elderly driver. In rural areas the regulations to farm tractors and equipment on public roads are not always clear to drivers because of their general lack of awareness of road regulations. Important to prevent such dramatic fatal accidents is information and safety in farmer’s vehicle mobility.