A Waupaca County man said he's lucky to be alive after an accident on his farm Tuesday afternoon.
David Flunker, 64, of Weyauwega said he was cutting his grass around 3:30 p.m. when the tractor stopped. He got out to check the ignition, then fixed a loose part, when the tractor suddenly started moving again, he said.
Luckily, he had shut off the power to the mower deck behind the tractor, he explained.
He tried to roll out from beneath the tractor and mower deck, but was pinned under the mower from the lower back down.
"I couldn't breathe and I was hollering, my wife couldn't hear me," Flunker told NBC26.
Flunker said he tried to call 911, but he didn't get good cell service.
"I was breathing slower and slower and slower and I just didn't have any energy to fight anymore," he said. "I thought I was going to be gone, dead."
He estimated he called 911 75 times and was trapped for about an hour and a half before the call went through. Weyauwega Fire Department used an air bag device to get him out from under the mower deck.
He was flown to ThedaCare Regional Medical Center and was later released. He suffered three broken vertebrae, but is recovering, he said.
"I'm just thankful I'm here," Flunker said.
