Injury history is not known. He was not the owner of the tractor. Access to the bottom land was via a narrow single lane road carved down the side of a hill. The road begins as grass and becomes mixed gravel as it proceeds down the 11 degree slope. One side is a 45 degree upward slope and the other side drops off at a 37 degree angle.
Dense hardwoods cover the hillside creating a canopy overhead.
The day of the investigation followed a rainy weekend and parts of the road were eroded, making automobile travel extremely difficult. After 1500 feet the hill side forest opens to a flat meadow. The left side of the road was a tree covered hillside, to the right a steep drop off. About 40 feet up the road, a 2 inch maple branch protruded from the left side perpendicular to the road. It extended halfway across the road.