Drunken tractor ride leads to death, driver’s arrest

A man was drunkenly driving a tractor when another man hitching a ride on the front loader fell off and was gruesomely run over Friday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The deadly incident was reported about 5:15 p.m. Friday on a private driveway at 9380 New Avenue. The CHP reports two men were riding on the loader of a Ford 250c tractor driven by 45-year-old Gilroy resident Ricardo Hernandez when the vehicle hit an “uneven portion” of a dirt-and-gravel driveway.

Hernandez was described as being “under the influence of an alcoholic beverage,” the CHP said.

The bump caused one of the loader riders, a 67-yearold Gilroy man, to be thrown from the tractor. “Due to the level of intoxication” in Hernandez, he was “unable to stop” the tractor before the right-rear tire ran over the victim, the CHP said.

The injured man was rushed to Regional Medical Center of San Jose where he was pronounced dead about an hour later. His name has yet to be released pending notification of his next of kin.

Neither Hernandez nor the 52-year-old Gilroy man who was also riding on the front loader were injured. Hernandez was arrested at the scene, but details of his arrest were not immediately released, and jail records show no custody information for him under his listed name and booking date.

The weather was sunny, clear and dry, according to the CHP.