Family urges drivers to be cautious around farm equipment after semi hits grandfather’s tractor

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa (KCRG) - On Tuesday, 79-year-old Wayne Novak left his farm for a trip he’s taken hundreds of times- taking a tractor half a mile down Highway 30 to haul manure.

But on the way back from this trip, Novak was rear ended by a semi truck. Officials say he was thrown from the tractor, landed in the ditch, and quickly helped by friends and first responders.

His family says Novak suffered serious injuries, but is stable and recovering at a local hospital. Now, they’re putting out a call to all drivers to be more cautious on the road around farmers driving farm equipment, especially with harvest season fast approaching.

“Wayne did everything right that day. He had his slow moving signs visible on both the tractor and the manure spreader. He had the lights flashing,” says Taylor Handy, Novak’s future granddaughter in-law.

Handy’s fiancé also works on the farm, and the entire family is familiar with the dangers of driving farm equipment on roads.

The Novak farm sits right off of Highway 30 in Mount Vernon. Handy says using it is a necessity, but also a daily worry.

“We live here, we work here. Highway 30 is unavoidable for us. We have no other option,” says Handy. “Anytime we cross that highway, we literally have to say a prayer. Not because of what we’re doing, but because of what the other drivers are doing.”

As harvest season approaches, farmers are forced to take more trips on busy roads. Handy says other drivers can help keep everyone safe by staying focused, off of phones, and slowing down if you see a farmer.

“If it is a no passing zone, it is a no passing zone for farm equipment as well,” says Handy. “We do everything we can to respect them and make sure that they are safe. I really, truly just wish drivers on the road would do the same for us and for other farmers out there, because this is all too common.”

The incident is still under investigation by the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.