A seriously-injured North Otago man walked several kilometres to get help yesterday after his tractor rolled six or seven times about 100m down a steep bank on farmland near Weston.
The 51-year-old man, whose name has not yet been released, was flown to Dunedin Hospital yesterday afternoon by the Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter.
The man was in a serious but stable condition last night.
He was due to go into theatre and would then be moved to the high dependency unit, a Dunedin Hospital spokeswoman said.
Sergeant Tony Woodbridge, of Oamaru, said the man showed "guts and determination"and the situation could have been much worse if he had not managed to walk out.
The man was ploughing in a steep gully when the tractor rolled.
It was not yet known what caused the accident.
He walked an estimated 2km-2km to a farmhouse, where ambulance, fire and police were called.
He was talking to police and ambulance staff when they arrived, but he did have very serious injuries, Sgt Woodbridge said.
The occupant of the farmhouse was outside repairing a fence when she thought she heard her name being called.
Later, the man appeared, covered in blood, and she immediately called emergency services.
She got him sitting in a truck until the ambulance arrived.
He was conscious and very worried about his dog. He could not lift it over a fence and had left it behind.
After the ambulance left, she retrieved the dog.
She was amazed how the man managed to walk so far when he was so badly injured.
The tractor was a "write-off", she said.
Police said it was difficult to establish when the accident happened and they were speaking to the man's partner to determine when she had last been in contact with him.
The man was taken by ambulance to Oamaru and then airlifted to Dunedin.
The accident has been referred to the Department of Labour.
