Man died after being run over by tractor on Stearns County farm

LUXEMBURG TOWNSHIP, Minn. (FOX 9) - A man died after being run over by a tractor on Sunday in Stearns County.

The Stearns County Sheriff's Office says it responded to a report at 1:07 p.m. on Oct. 15 of a man who had been run over by a tractor on 143rd Avenue in Luxemburg Township. Deputies found the man, identified as 59-year-old Matthew Mathies, lying on his side in the yard. 

Mathies had been attempting to hook a wagon up to the back of his tractor and corn picker combo, but the tractor began to roll forward down a slight incline. Mathies tried to jump onto the tractor, so it wouldn't roll into the shed, but he slipped and was run over, the sheriff's office said. 

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, a farmer is 800% more likely to die while working than people in other jobs, and the leading cause of death is tractor rollovers.