Indiana County man killed in farming accident
An Indiana County man was fatally injured Friday afternoon when his jacket became caught in farming equipment.
Leonard Mark Johnston, 57, of Creekside, was pronounced dead in a field off Johnston Road in Washington Township, Indiana County Coroner Jerry Overman said. He attributed the death to multiple blunt trauma.
Johnston was mowing the field at about 4:30 p.m., pulling a flail chopper with a tractor, when, Overman believes, Johnston attempted to manually adjust the chopper’s discharge chute. The crank for the chute was faulty, requiring Johnston to reach over the unit’s drive shaft. Overman said Johnston’s jacket became entangled.
Creekside firefighters helped free Johnston from the machinery.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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