Woman driver hits tractor implement, loses control, and dies after crashing into tree

[kebo]

There are no pictures at the link, other than a photo of the subject who was placed under arrest. Sounds like the accident might have been caused by carelessness on the part of the tractor operator. This happened about 20 miles from where I live, and was even closer to where I work. Just a tragic thing to happen, I hate it for the lady's family.



Car Vs.Tractor: One Woman Dead | wltx.com

Leesville, SC (WLTX)- Chief Deputy Coroner Randy Martin has identified the individual who was killed on Friday, in the traffic accident on Cedar Grove Road in Leesville, SC, as Joyce Long Gray, age 77, of Leesville, SC.

According to Lexington County Sheriffs Department at approximately 3pm Friday, May 3rd, Gray was traveling West on Cedar Grove Road in a Crown Victoria when a Tractor traveling East drove left of center. Gray struck part of an attachment to the tractor, lost control of the vehicle and struck a tree. She was wearing a seat belt.
The man on the tractor, Contreras Martinez, 53, Martinez was charged with leaving a scene involving death as well as driving left of center. Martinez is currently being held at the Lexington County Detention Center.
The accident remains under investigation by the Lexington County Coroner's Office and the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

 

[brin]

Wonder how they know he was left of the center line...? were there witnesses...? they don't say....the poor deceased lady was 77 yrs. old...so I just have to wonder....did she use caution reproaching an oncoming tractor..? I sure do...

 

[orezok]

Perhaps, skid marks and debris field well inside the centerline?

 

[murphy1244]

Wonder how they know he was left of the center line...? were there witnesses...? they don't say....the poor deceased lady was 77 yrs. old...so I just have to wonder....did she use caution reproaching an oncoming tractor..? I sure do...

Since the guy left the scene it makes one wonder, don't it.

 

[dave1949]

Since the guy left the scene it makes one wonder, don't it.

Yeah. It says I'm guilty of something. Sad these things happen. I don't understand leaving the scene of an accident, especially an injury accident. Who knows, there may have been something he could have done to prevent the death.

One of our local idiots went off the road in his minivan, took down a mailbox and bounced off a couple trees. Left the scene, then called the next day and claimed the minivan had been stolen. Now maybe he feared he couldn't pass a sobriety test, but it's just greedy to try and claim stolen vehicle. If he would have gone back the next morning and fessed up, replaced the mailbox, etc., he wouldn't be going to court facing several charges. People just don't take responsibility for their actions.

 

[MuleMn]

Why did Martinez leave the scene....? Probably scared. Maybe he was undocumented.:wink::wink:

 

[Reg]

OK, since everyone else is speculating I'll give it a try.
He was hauling something BIG, HEAVY and probably NOISY.
It was WIDE too, some of it was over the center line.
Lots of stuff banging and rattling around back there - farm machinery can be LIKE that.

She clipped it lightly, freaked out and lost control.

Well, its as plausible as he must have known he had something to hide.

 

[LindenBruce]

This time of the year we have lots of implements being moved around on surface streets. And most of the time no pilot vehicles are used at all. The tractor operators are usually pretty good about watching for cars on the road. But I have come across some operators who were clueless about other vehicles on the roadway. And about 90% of the equipment I see moving on the roadways have no rear view mirror's at all. I think at least one mirror would really help improve safety. B

 

[Mace Canute]

A few years back a fellow employee of the electrical utility I retired from met a farmer pulling his deep tillage (big one with fold up wings behind a big 4 wheel drive tractor) on a country road. The employee was driving a 3/4 utility ton truck and had pulled over and stopped with his drivers wheels on the grass in the right hand ditch...and the farmer still hit him! The shovels actually dug into the truck right up to the windshield area and hooked fairly securely and the farmer instead of stopping and seeing if the truck driver was ok actually had the gall to try to get his deep tillage unstuck from the truck instead!