Buchanan was pronounced dead at the scene, said Sgt. Thomas J. Gerber of the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Springfield Post.
The driver of the tractor, 52-year-old Terry J. Donohoe of Woodstock, was not injured.
Gerber said Donohoe was doing his best to stay on his side of the roadway, despite the large equipment. He won’t be cited.
“Based on what we can tell right now, he was partially off the roadway and partially on — making sure he left the majority of the roadway to the motoring public,” Gerber said.
With the ground finally frozen, farmers are out doing field work that can only be completed in the winter. A handful of crashes involving farm equipment happen each year, but mostly in the spring when planting season starts, said Greg Kaffenbarger, a North Hampton farmer whose family has been in the business for 80 years. Kaffenbarger said he always has to be extra cautious when he takes equipment onto the roadways.
“We have to use the roadways to get (from) one field to the next,” he said. “We just ask people to keep their eyes open and try to slow down as they see the flashing lights.”
Buchanan was not wearing her seat belt. Highway patrol officials said they don’t believe alcohol was a factor.
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