A maintenance worker has died after a piece of farm equipment he was operating Friday at a cranberry bog in Bourne tipped over and pinned him underneath, according to Bourne police.
Around 8:26 a.m., officers responded to 1054 County Road for a workplace accident, reporting a man was pinned underneath a sand spreader. Police said he was using the equipment for maintenance to help the cranberry crop grow during the offseason before it rolled on top of him.
When first responders arrived, they performed CPR on the victim, a 71-year-old man from Bourne, but he was pronounced dead shortly after.
“When the tractor this gentleman was driving started to go down a ramp to get on the bog, it flipped over and he was trapped,” said Steven Xiarhos, Massachusetts State Representative for the 5th Barnstable district.
Xiarhos rushed to the scene, and said other workers also jumped in to help.
Bourne Deputy Fire Chief Shawn Silva said those workers did end up getting to the victim.
“They were able to use another piece of equipment and make enough room where the person was able to be freed,” said Silva.
Xiarhos said the owner of the bog is devastated, especially since it’s the beginning of the holiday season.
“He’s very upset and struggling with the loss of his friend,” Xiarhos said. “They’ve worked together for over 30 years. It’s never easy but at this time, Thanksgiving is a good time in peoples lives and now this will always be a part of that.”
This incident is under investigation by the Bourne Police Department, Massachusetts State Police Detectives, and OSHA.
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