Farmer impaled by tractor bale spike

A farmer has suffered serious injuries after he was impaled by a foot-long bale spike.
The man, said to be in his 50s, was removing plastic from silage bales in a stack at a farm in Lyneal, near Ellesmere, Shropshire, on 13 February.
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service reported the tractor rolled down a slope and the spike went through his back, pinning him against the stack.
A spokesman for the fire service said it appeared the tractor handbrake had not been on.
West Midlands Ambulance Service added the farmer was trapped for about two hours and was conscious while crews worked to release him.
An ambulance service spokeswoman said he was stabilised and airlifted to the major trauma centre at University Hospital of North Staffordshire for specialist treatment.
The farmer has not been named.
The rescue team included two air ambulances, a conventional ambulance, a trauma doctor, paramedics and two fire crews.
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