He proceeded another 91 feet. On his left was a steep earthen embankment, on his right a one-foot high rock berm. Beyond the berm was a 30-degree slope of approximately 26 feet. A five-foot tall chain link fence was at the bottom of this slope. The road continued about 60 more feet and then curved to the right, around another private residence at the base of the hill, leading to the public road.
Witnesses report that the tractor was traveling at a high rate of speed.
The witnesses reported that the tractor was still in first gear following the incident. They concluded that the victim had panicked, pressed the clutch instead of the brake, and accelerated down the slope. The witnesses, who had traveled ahead in the pick-up truck, had stopped and were waiting for the victim at the bottom of the driveway. One of the witnesses saw the tractor go over the hill. One witness ran to the victim, recognized that help would be needed to extricate him, and ran about 20 feet to the nearest house to call a wrecker, then returned to the victim.