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Friday, July 18, 2014

Clayton Man Injured in Early Morning Crash With Farm Equipment Near Hartly

Hartly, DE – Troopers are investigating an early morning crash involving a car and farm equipment that occurred north of Hartly.

The incident occurred at approximately 5:30 a.m. as William Szelestei, 52 of Hartly, was operating a 1983 John Deere tractor pulling a soy bean planter (approximately 22’ wide) eastbound on Fords Corner Road, south of Everetts Corner Road (SR44) and was attempting to slow to a stop and pull to the right as he saw an approaching vehicle. Patrick M. Grubb, 22 of Clayton was operating 2002 Chevrolet Impala westbound on Fords Corner Road approaching the farm machinery and failed to see the equipment across the road, striking the soy bean planter with the front of the car. The impact caused the car to under ride the planter equipment and come to a stop with one of the trailer tires encroaching into the driver’s side compartment.
Patrick Grubb had to be extricated through mechanical means by the Hartly Volunteer Fire Company and flown to Christiana Medical Center where he is currently listed in fair condition.

William Szelestei was uninjured in the incident.
 
Troopers are continuing their investigation into this incident and no charges have been filed. At the time of the crash, visibility may have been a contributing factor due to low light. Fords Corner Road between SR44 and Gibbs Chapel Road was closed for approximately one and a half hours while the crash was investigated and cleared.
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5 comments:

  1. AnonymousJuly 18, 2014 at 3:36 PM

    That soybean planter looks like it is so wide that even if the tractor pulled to the side the soybean planter would still have taken up a good portion of the road, he would have had to gone on the grass on the right to go around it.

    No lights on that soybean planter.

    Hope the injured guy makes out OK, I can see the ambulance chasers all over this one.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJuly 18, 2014 at 4:32 PM

    Everyone is in a hurry. It's hard to miss a 4640 coming down the road. Farmer moving equipment in the am to avoid traffic.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJuly 18, 2014 at 5:26 PM

    It is light out at 5:30am so the driver should have seen the implement protruding from the side of the tractor. Glad he wasn't hurt badly.
    You just have to be so careful and fully alert when driving on these back roads. Farm equipment is only one concern but there deer and other animals to watch out for as well.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJuly 18, 2014 at 8:18 PM

    I am all for supporting farmers, but if they wanting to keep buying the biggest, oversized equipment they can buy then they shouldn't have the right to drive them on the roadways. There should be limitations on farm equipment over the road.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJuly 18, 2014 at 9:44 PM

    Signage, lights, the equipment is this big, and needs to be. But, it needs to be lighted.

    ReplyDelete

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