-By Indrawattie Natram

A 63-year old rice farmer of Annandale village on the Essequibo Coast is counting his lucky stars after he narrowly escaped death when a tractor he was driving toppled into a trench late on Tuesday afternoon.

Richard Pearce was ferrying a load of paddy around 1720hrs when the tray of the tractor toppled along the  La Union Public Road.

According to information reaching Guyana Chronicle, Pearce finished harvesting at his farmlands and was about to transport his paddy to a nearby mill when the incident occurred.

Scores of residents flocked the area and assisted the elderly man out of the trench. Rice farmers noted that the incident can be attributed to the poor condition of the dam that led to the farmer’s plot.

The farmer managed to save some of his paddy.