Blace: tractor overturns in plum orchard, man (60) dies
A man around 60 years old was killed on Sunday morning in his own plum orchard near Blace when his tractor overturned during fieldwork. Police are working to establish the cause.
- A man around 60 years old was killed on Sunday morning in his own plum orchard near Blace.
- While working the orchard he lost control of his tractor, which overturned and pinned him.
- Paramedics could only confirm his death at the scene.
- Police are on site and the cause of the rollover is still being determined.
A man around 60 years old died on Sunday morning in his own orchard near Blace, in southern Serbia. According to early reports, the accident happened while he was working a plum plantation, when for reasons not yet established he lost control of his tractor. The machine overturned and pinned him, and the injuries he suffered left no chance of survival.
An emergency medical team reached the site quickly but could only confirm his death on the spot. Police carried out an on-site inspection and are gathering details about how the rollover occurred.
Reports differ on the victim’s exact age, with figures of 60 and 65 both circulating. Until official checks are complete, the more cautious description is that of a man around 60 years old from the Blace area.
What is known about the accident
From what is known so far, the man was doing routine seasonal work in his orchard. Plum orchards in this part of Serbia often sit on gently sloping ground, so operating machinery on an incline demands particular care. A tractor rollover is one of the most common and most severe hazards in farming, especially when the driver has no protective frame or does not wear a seatbelt.
Authorities have not yet said whether the rollover was caused by the terrain, a mechanical fault or some other factor. In cases like this it is standard to order an expert examination to establish the precise sequence of events. Only after that will it be possible to speak more accurately about the cause.
Fatal farm accidents are not rare in Serbia, and most of them involve older households and older machines. Industry figures have warned for years that tractors, particularly those without a cab and a protective frame, are among the most dangerous tools in rural work.
Why do tractor accidents keep happening?
The answer lies less in any one person’s carelessness and more in a mix of factors that have built up over years. A large share of the machinery on Serbian farms consists of decades-old tractors, bought secondhand and without modern safety systems. Many have no roll bar to hold the driver in a rollover, and no belt to keep them in the seat.
Add to that work on difficult, sloping ground, often in the early morning or near dusk when visibility is poorer. Seasonal pressure to finish the job on time pushes people to work fast, sometimes while tired. No single one of these elements is decisive, but together they create conditions in which even a small slip can have grave consequences.
Specialists have for years proposed mandatory safety checks for farm machinery and incentives to fit protective frames on older tractors. The question is whether it will take a string of tragedies like this one to prompt firmer measures.
For now, it remains for the authorities to complete their inspection and establish the exact cause of the rollover near Blace. Until then, condolences go to the victim’s family, while the public is left to ask how many such accidents could be prevented through better safeguards.
Is it time for safety checks on farm machinery to become mandatory, just like the annual roadworthiness test for cars?
