Farmwife Killed As Grain
Wagon Tips Over On Her

In October 1998, a 50-year-old Iowa farmwife was killed when a grain wagon tipped over on its side, crushing her underneath. The wagon was filled with soybeans and was being pulled in from the field. While going through a shallow ditch, the wagon slightly tipped to the right and a few bushels of beans spilled onto the ground. The wagon’s grain box had shifted back 120-150 mm (5-6") and fallen from its support on the running gear, causing it to tilt to the right (relative to the direction of travel). The farmwife stopped and left the wagon in this tilted position overnight as further pulling could have worsened the situation. The next morning the farmer and his wife planned to empty the tilted wagon and then lift the grain box back in its proper position. They took an auger and another empty wagon to the field and began transferring grain from the left side of the tilted wagon when it suddenly tipped over on its right side. The grain box was secured to the running gear with chains at two opposite corners, left front and right rear, leaving the other corners unattached. This compromised the stability of the wagon and the box tipped over unexpectedly when only one sixth of the beans had been removed. The rear axle stayed on the ground, while the front axle moved with the grain box. The wife was shoveling up spilled beans on the ground to the right of the wagon and was instantly pinned under the falling grain box. The farmer tried to dig her out, but was unable to do so. Rescue personnel used air bags to lift the wagon, but the woman had died from asphyxiation.

#1: Gravity flow wagon manufacturers, dealers, and owners should ensure that grain boxes are securely attached to the running gear at all four corners.

--Since the grain box was attached to the running gear with two chains at opposite corners, the attachment point at the back was very narrow, and the box tipped to the right at Point B.
--Four-corner attachment with chains is one simple technical solution to maximize grain wagon stability.
--A more reliable mechanism is needed to keep the grain box from sliding on the running gear.
--Welding larger tabs on both sides of the box frames will greatly reduce shifting of the grain box forward and backward, and keep the grain box on the running gear.
--Owners of these kind of wagons should be alerted about this potential hazard.

#2: Farmers and users of gravity flow wagons should be made aware of the tipping hazard when unloading gravity flow wagons.

--The farmer and his wife were unaware of the immediate danger when unloading the tilted wagon.
--Factors in this accident include: the grain box falling off its support, the slightly sloping ground, the narrow base of support due to inadequate attachments, and the shifting center of gravity while unloading grain.
--Gravity flow wagons should be unloaded only on even ground.
--If the box must be unloaded when it is tilted to the right, precautions must be followed to avoiding tipping of the grain box or the wagon. Working near a damaged or tilted wagon should be avoided.