Share the road: Farmer drives combine into ditch when oncoming vehicle doesn’t move over
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BONNEVILLE COUNTY — Hyrum Adamson remembers driving his combine and veering into a ditch after he says a vehicle was crowding the middle of the road.
It happened to the farmer on Thursday, Nov. 2, just after 4 p.m. on 55th East, near Iona.
“I was heading southbound, and it’s kind of a narrow road as it is. It is only a two-lane road in Bonneville County,” Adamson said. “There was a car heading north. Most people move over a little bit to give you more space.”
However, he said the car didn’t give him any space with his 14-foot wide combine.
“I had to veer off to the right in order to miss the oncoming vehicle. That, in turn, sucked me off into the ditch on the west side of the road,” he said. “I then tried to correct to get back onto the road, which then bounced the back end of the combine hard enough to break the rear axle.”
Without the ability to steer, the combine went into a rear skid, crossed the road and went into a ditch. Adamson didn’t have any injuries, but he believes it could have been avoided.
“We all have a destination to go to, and the most important aspect in our traveling is trying to share the road,” he said.
Idaho State Police Sgt. Justin Ward shared safety tips for vehicles when they see a piece of farm equipment out on the road.
“I think the main thing is to slow down and then try to yield as much as you can to them. Obviously, any kind of farm equipment has just as much right to the roadway as a passenger car does, so definitely slowing down and trying to give them room, understanding that they can’t maneuver like most cars can,” Ward said.
He added if you can move over to the shoulder or even pull over to let farm equipment get by, that is ideal.
“Just be patient and try to give them some space,” Ward said.
A slow-moving vehicle traveling slower than the normal speed of traffic delaying three or more other vehicles in a rural area or on a two-lane highway must turn off the road wherever safe to let other vehicles pass, according to the Idaho Transportation Department.
“If you get stuck behind a piece of farm equipment and the farm equipment moves over, you can get around,” said Adamson.
He says sometimes, drivers will not know what to do when farm equipment moves over, and they will sometimes wait, creating a long line of cars.
As for what happened to Adamson last week, he said a Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputy showed up and provided some traffic control. He was able to get help and got a tractor to pull the damaged combine out.
It’s just a good reminder, he says, to be careful.
“Oncoming (traffic), if you see farm equipment, just give us a little extra room and slow down a little bit. That would be helpful,” he said.