Vineyard worker dies after being crushed by tractor part

A man working at Arrowhead Vineyard in Sonoma has been killed after being crushed to death by a tractor’s tiller when trying to remove some wire from its tines.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office received a call just before 8am local time on Tuesday 1 May from Arrowhead Vineyard, located in the 2300 block of Napa Road in Sonoma, following reports that a worker had died.

Officers who attended the address were told that the man had been attempting to free some wire caught in the tilling tines. It is thought that while trying to do this, the tiller attachment fell on him and crushed him to death.

The man was discovered by another worker who found him apparently deceased and trapped under the tiller, according to the authorities.

The coroner’s office subsequently identified the man as 34-year-old Franklin Palacios Carrillo from Fairfield.

The incident is now being investigated by the Californian Division of Occupational Safety and Health “Cal OSHA” who, according to Sonoma County Police, will examine the tractor and other equipment in order to determine exactly what happened.

CAL OSHA spokesman Frank Polizzi said inspections generally take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. The board now has six months to issue citations for any violations of workplace safety regulations.

It is believed that Carrillo was an employee of Walsh Vineyards Management who oversee the vineyard.