A 71-year-old Fruitland man was injured when the tractor he was driving rolled into a creek Friday.

According to Cape Girardeau Fire Department battalion chief Mark Starnes, Wayne Estes was driving his small Allis Chalmers tractor along a creek bank when it rolled into the creek. The tractor trapped him in the shallow creek bed near County Road 601.

Fire and rescue units from the Cape Girardeau and Fruitland fire departments received the call around 4:30 p.m. They raised the tractor using air bags and cables, Starnes said.

Starnes said Estes was responsive and he could feel his arms and legs. He was taken by helicopter to Saint Francis Medical Center with injuries that were initially unknown.

Alan Estes, the son of Wayne Estes, said nobody saw the accident happen.

"My mother heard the engine quit, and she went out to take a look," Alan Estes said. "She saw the tractor had rolled into the creek and she thought my father was dead."

Alan Estes said his mother called 911 and then him.

"I think he was under the tractor for about an hour," he said. "He was lucky."

Pertinent address:

County Road 601, Fruitland, MO