Man falls off tractor while clearing snow

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Updated: February 25, 2012 8:18AM

A man suffered severe injuries when he fell off the tractor he was using to clear the snow off his driveway on County Line Road. No one saw the accident, but it appears the vehicle then ran over and possibly dragged John Williams, 50.

He was unconscious but breathing and attempting to vomit when police arrived just after 4 p.m. Sunday to the 500 block of north County Line Road. There were road-rash type marks on his lower back, and Williams was bleeding from his ear.

Sgt. Larry LaFlower, public information officer for the Porter County Sheriff’s Department, said police believe a medical condition may have caused the fall.

Williams’ 75-year-old roommate told police Williams is diabetic but he did not know if he had other medical conditions.

The roommate told police Williams went outside about 50 minutes before to clear the long driveway. Approximately 40 minutes later, he went outside to see if Williams was almost done and found him facedown in the snow with blood around his head.

The tractor Williams had been using, with a drag blade attached to its rear, was about 20 feet northwest of where Williams was found. It was not running, but the keys were in the ignition and it was against a fence it appeared to have pushed down.

Williams was transported to St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart, then flown to a Chicago hospital, police said. His current location and condition is unknown.