Abstract: At 9:30 a.m. on April 30, 1993, Employee #1 was attempting to start a tractor by shorting across the hot lead and the starter using a screw driver. Employee #1 was standing on the ground on the right side of the tractor when it started in gear and jumped forward. The tractor's large custom rear fender pinned him against a big almond tree. He quickly grabbed the accelerator lever and brought the engine to idle. The engine stalled and died, and Employee #1 pulled himself free. He walked a few steps, checked down his leg, and saw blood on his hand. The employee sat down for a minute, then got up and got in his truck. As he was driving away, his employer drove up. The employer called 911. When emergency crews arrived, Employee #1 was taken to Colusa Hospital. He was airlifted to Enloe Hospital in Chico, where he is being treated for torn ligaments of the upper left leg, loss of flesh on his buttocks, and injuries to his rectal area. Employee #1 had thought the battery was dead. He had used jumper cables and said he was just "dumb " to use the screw driver. "It was closer, the key was on the left side," he said. It is probable that the tractor was in gear and the safety switch would not allow it to start.