A bicycle sprocket and hot dogs demonstrate the dangers of unshielded machinery at Farm Safety Day.
For 43 years, part of Richard Flickinger’s daily routine has been putting on his prosthetic right arm.
On Saturday, Flickinger told several groups of children who attended the annual Farm Safety Day about the day he lost that arm, and nearly his life.
“I was in a hurry, and when you get in a hurry, you can make mistakes,” he told his young audience.
On that day, he was baling, alone, when the baler experienced a minor problem.
“I jumped off the tractor that was still moving” he told the students, explaining that doing so is another safety risk. He reached into the baler to try to fix the problem and quickly his glove, and then the rest of his right forearm, got pulled into the machine.
Flickinger told the kids that he fought for his life, struggling with his left arm to keep the machine from killing him, while yelling for help. Neighbors came and turned off the tractor and baler, but by then his arm had suffered so much damage that the only option was for surgeons to amputate it at the elbow.
The rural Garrison farmer showed the students how he put on his arm, and the protective sleeve he uses. He also reminded them that the warnings they were hearing on Saturday are based on experiences like his.
Other stations offered lessons on overall farm safety practices, lawn mower, power take-off, first aid, chemicals and calling 911.
Those helping with the event included:
Combine Safety – Kromminga Motors & Benton Community FFA
911 Emergency-- North Benton Ambulance-Tina Eden
Sun Sense – Cheryl Raub
ATV Safety—USS Polaris- Brock
First Aid – Virginia Gay Hospital-Lori Clark
PTO/Pinch Point- Gary Albert, Brandon Fire Dept.
Hidden Hazards- Belle Plaine FFA
Accident Survivor- Dick Flickinger
Chemical Safety- Linda Fischer
Lawn Mower Safety- Kromminga Motors- Vinton Shellsburg FFA
Snack – Benton County Farm Bureau, Unity Point Health Clinic
Lunch – Benton County Farm Bureau, Dairy and Pork Producers
Helpers: V-S, Belle Plaine & Benton Community FFA, Farm Bureau, business and community members
See more photos HERE.
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