A farmer was crushed to death yesterday by a 7,000-pound tractor.

Thirty-nine-year-old Joseph "Joey" Pacheco of Devonshire was pinned under the tractor after it toppled into a ditch.

Firemen were on the scene within minutes of the alarm being sounded.

Another tractor was used to free Mr. Pacheco, but he was dead on arrival at hospital.

The tragedy plunged the farming community into shock.

Tom Wadson, of Wadson's Farming, described Joey as "a first class farmer, a hardworking guy".

"He was the type of guy who would keep this industry going in this country."

The accident occurred in Devonshire off Watlington Road West and Locust Lane. The Bermuda Fire Service said the emergency call came through at 12.07 p.m. and three fire trucks and seven personnel went to the scene.

The Fire Service's Sgt. Wenda Godfrey said it appeared the tractor wheel slipped in a ditch which caused it to overturn. Mr. Pacheco was on the seat of the open tractor when the tragedy occurred.

Police last night could not say how long Mr. Pacheco had been trapped but Sgt. Godfrey said her department was on the scene within five minutes of receiving the call.

Sgt. Godfrey said that another tractor was used to lift the tractor that Mr. Pacheco was stuck under in order to free him.

He was taken by ambulance to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and pronounced dead soon afterwards.

It appears that Mr. Pacheco was operating the 6,000 to 7,000 pound tractor when it overturned and he was pinned underneath. The tractor got too close to a ditch and overturned into the ditch.

Manuel Falcao is a long time friend of the Pacheco family, which is well known for sending Easter lilies to the Queen. He expressed his shock, saying he had known Joey for years.

"Joey has ploughed these fields hundreds of times and never had an accident".

"I am very sad. This is a disaster," he said.

Mr. Falcao explained to the Royal Gazette that Joey was operating one of the older tractors. The new tractors have a roll bar at the top which allows a person to free himself if the tractor does overturn.

"When the wheels slip, that's it," Mr. Falcao said.

"Many people think it's easy to drive tractors but it's not".

Another friend of the family and 'rival' farmer Carlos Amaral spoke about not only the family's loss but also Bermuda's loss with Joey's death.

"It's a sad day because Bermuda has lost one of its limited number of farmers," he said.

Mr. Amaral said that there was always friendly competition between his family and the Pacheco's.

He said that Joey was an excellent farmer and he provided not only for his family but for all of Bermuda.

"We do this for the love of farming. It's not just for the money it's because we love our job,"he said.

Mr. Wadson said Joey was knowledgeable and a good guy. "He knew how to farm," he said.

He added that Joey was the second man to have been killed on a farm on a tractor in Bermuda since he began his career in the 1970s. "Tractors have a high centre of gravity so they can roll. I've rolled a tractor".

Mr. Wadson said that he had seen a man killed on a farm in Canada where he turned a corner too sharp and the tractor rolled over on top of him.

"Farming is considered one of the most dangerous professions in the world and so many people aren't aware".

"Joey was a fun guy, a hardworking guy and he will be deeply missed," he said.

"His family has my absolute sympathy, he was a fabulous guy, he was a total farmer, he was the type of guy who would keep this industry going in this country".