Not many people can say they have seen their life flash before their eyes, but it is something Mackay cane farmer James Bugeja has experienced.
"I always thought it was an urban myth," he said.
But in 2020 a terrifying incident changed his perspective.
A cane planter fell on top of him during a routine tyre change, and things have never been the same.
"I could see it starting to come towards me," he said.
"As the planter came down, a hydraulic motor caught me on the shoulder and pushed me down into the ground.
"I ended up under the planter with my head between my knees."
He recalled experiencing a sharp pain in his back, which later turned out to be the result of two damaged vertebrae.
Mr Bugeja attempted to crawl over to the side of the truck and hoist himself into it but was unable to due to the pain.
"I realised, 'Oh no, I'm not going to walk this one off'."
He spent more than two months in rehabilitation and still suffers ongoing impacts.
"Some mornings I think I'm 89 years old, not 63," he said.
"I don't think you ever fully recover from these accidents."
Run of tractor fatalities
But Mr Bugeja is not alone.
Farm workers have some of the highest injury rates of any workers, according to Workplace Health and Safety Queensland.
Agricultural unit operations manager Dave Fletcher said recent incidents involving tractors were concerning.
"It is in the front of mind of a lot of farmers, growers and producers at the moment because there has been that relative spate, unfortunately, of fatalities," he said.
Central and north Queensland are disproportionately impacted, with almost three quarters of all incidents occurring between the Rockhampton region and the top of the state.
As recently as August last year, there were two tractor accidents in the Mackay region, including one in which an 87-year-old man was killed.
And in the Innisfail area in November, a 21-year-old man was fatally crushed after being ejected from a tractor and trapped underneath as it rolled.
Education is key
Mr Fletcher said it was up to agricultural business owners to ensure anyone who was employed to operate a tractor knew how to do so safely.
"We do rely on our growers and our persons who conduct businesses and undertakings in the agricultural sector," he said.
"We need them to be educated to know the risks associated with the operation of tractors.
"What we push in terms of messaging is that producers [need to] ensure verification of competency of the operator of the tractor, if they're asked to [do so] as part of their employment."
When it comes to a producer operating a tractor on his own farm, Mr Fletcher said the advice was similar to what would be given to someone operating a motor vehicle.
"They have to pay attention to what they're doing," he said.
But he said there were specific risks operators should be aware of.
"The person operating that tractor has to continually be aware of the wearing of his seatbelt, of any overhead hazards that a rollover protection system might collide into like overhead branches or structures, or of any slopes that they might be traversing.
"Other issues [include] fatigue, heat stress and being distracted by a mobile phone that goes off."
