Two Oregon teens saved their father's
life by lifting a 3,000-pound tractor off of him after the machinery
flipped over and pinned him to the ground.
Jeff Smith of Lebanon, Ore., said he was trying to pull a tree stump out of his garden when his boot slipped off the clutch and the tractor flipped on top of him, with the steering wheel pinning his chest to the ground. He immediately began screaming for help.
'It was scary because it was on my chest [and] every time I called out for help it was like a constrictor,' Smith explained to Portland NBC affiliate KGW.
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His daughters, 16-year-old Hannah and 14-year-old Haylee, were walking their family dogs nearby when they heard his screams.
They followed his shouts and found him in his garden.
'He was just laying in the dirt underneath the tractor and he was screaming,' Hannah said.
The girls ran to his side and immediately began trying to lift the tractor off of him.
Hannah said she was thinking, 'This is really heavy but I need to get it off of him.'
Meanwhile, Haylee was praying she could find the strenght to save her father.
'I was saying, "God help me" over and over because I knew, obviously, I could not lift it by myself,' she said.
The girls were able to lift the tractor just high enough so that he could slight his torso out from underneath and breathe.
'It’s amazing. You hear about this kind of stuff — this adrenaline rush, being able to pick cars up and slide people out,' Smith told KGW. 'You never realize it’s really there until you actually witness it.'
Smith's arm was still pinned beneath the tractor so they called neighbor to bring his own tractor and use its shovel to finish freeing him.
Smith was treated at the hospital for a broken wrist and other minor injuries.
Hannah said she called her mother before the ambulance ride and that she was convinced it was an April Fool's joke.
'I just can’t believe it happened, honestly,' Hannah told the Albany Democrat-Herald. 'We were supposed to go to a friend’s house. I don’t know why we didn’t.'
Jeff Smith of Lebanon, Ore., said he was trying to pull a tree stump out of his garden when his boot slipped off the clutch and the tractor flipped on top of him, with the steering wheel pinning his chest to the ground. He immediately began screaming for help.
'It was scary because it was on my chest [and] every time I called out for help it was like a constrictor,' Smith explained to Portland NBC affiliate KGW.
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Rescued: Jeff Smith (center) was rescued by his
daughters, 16-year-old Hannah (left) and 14-year-old Haylee, who lifted a
3,000-pound tractor (pictured) off of their father when he was pinned
underneath it
They followed his shouts and found him in his garden.
'He was just laying in the dirt underneath the tractor and he was screaming,' Hannah said.
The girls ran to his side and immediately began trying to lift the tractor off of him.
Hannah said she was thinking, 'This is really heavy but I need to get it off of him.'
Meanwhile, Haylee was praying she could find the strenght to save her father.
'I was saying, "God help me" over and over because I knew, obviously, I could not lift it by myself,' she said.
Injuries: Smith reveals injuries to his arm, which include a broken wrist, after the accident
'It’s amazing. You hear about this kind of stuff — this adrenaline rush, being able to pick cars up and slide people out,' Smith told KGW. 'You never realize it’s really there until you actually witness it.'
Smith's arm was still pinned beneath the tractor so they called neighbor to bring his own tractor and use its shovel to finish freeing him.
Smith was treated at the hospital for a broken wrist and other minor injuries.
Hannah said she called her mother before the ambulance ride and that she was convinced it was an April Fool's joke.
'I just can’t believe it happened, honestly,' Hannah told the Albany Democrat-Herald. 'We were supposed to go to a friend’s house. I don’t know why we didn’t.'