A man in his 80's has been transported to Orange Hospital after his tractor rolled into the river
At 3pm on Wednesday 5th March, emergency services were called to a property on Vernon Drive, near Savages Lane, to find the tractor had rolled down an embankment with the vehicle upside down in the river.
Two persons were inside the tractor, paramedics removing both patients, and the man was being treated on the scene. The other patient, a woman, wasn't injured.
The man suffered head injuries in the accident.
The incident is the latest in a spate of on-farm accidents in the region, following a fatal ATV rollover at Frogmore on 16 January, and another vehicle rollover at Millamolong, near Mandurama, which resulted in a serious injury.
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Experts have called for urgent action to increase safety on farms, to reduce the risks of further critical incidents.
“This is not just a wake-up call—it’s an emergency,” said Felicity Richards, Chair of Farmsafe Australia. “We cannot continue to accept farm fatalities and serious injuries as just part of life on the land. The data is clear: we need to change the culture around safety, and we need to do it now.”
The latest data released by AgriFutures Australia and collated by the team at AgHealth Australia has revealed a sharp and deeply concerning rise in on-farm fatalities and serious injuries, with 72 lives lost and 133 serious injuries recorded in 2024.
AgHealth Australia’s Farm Safety Research Manager, Kerri-Lynn Peachey, who monitors and collates incidents on-farm each year, called the latest statistics a stark reminder to prioritise farm safety. “With deaths and injuries more than doubling since 2023, we can’t ignore the warning. While some fluctuation is expected, 72 fatalities far exceed the five-year average of 53,” she said.
“We must stop treating these incidents as unfortunate accidents and start treating them as preventable tragedies,” Ms Richards said. “Farm safety isn’t about red tape; it’s about keeping people alive. If we don’t act now, we will be having the same conversation in another 12 months—only with more names added to the toll.”
