Firefighters, farm workers rescue tractor operator after 12-foot fall in Lynden
Firefighters rescued the operator of a tractor in Whatcom County after the vehicle dropped 12 feet off an elevated silage storage bunker wall.
Firefighters from Station 69 in Laurel responded around 11:55 a.m. Sept. 24 to assist the partially flipped John Deere 8300 on a property along Beebe Road in Lynden. The tractor had gone over the wall and came to rest at a steep angle with its rear wheels perched on the edge, Capt. Tye Thompson with Station 69 told The Herald.
The operator remained in the cab of the tractor, as the unstable position had created a risk of further shifting, which would be dangerous to the operator and rescuers, Thompson said.
During the fall, the operator was thrown forward, breaking the front windshield. Due to the tractor’s positioning and instability, the operator was not able to exit the vehicle without help from rescuers, according to Thompson.
Rescue crews were able to extract the operator within 10-12 minutes. Rescuers had worked with farmhands at the top of the wall to stabilize the rear of the tractor by chaining it to an additional tractor, Thompson said.
Once the tractor was secured, firefighters worked with a telehandler operator to position a basket near the operator trapped inside the tractor. The operator was able to climb into the basket from their position and was safely removed from the tractor, according to Thompson.
“Credit belongs equally to the workers on the farm,” Thompson said in an email to The Herald. “Their skill and ingenuity expedited the stabilization of the tractor and made it possible to retrieve the operator without introducing additional instability through the telehandler operation. It was a genuine display of calm problem-solving and community partnership that made all the difference. Made me proud to work in the county.”
This story was originally published October 2, 2025 at 10:39 AM.
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