Troopers say man drowned in a ditch while trapped under a tractor

The Delaware State Police are conducting a death investigation, after a 47-year-old man became trapped under his tractor in a ditch full of water.

Authorities say Kendall Hastings of Georgetown was operating an older model Ford Farm Tractor while cutting brush along a tax ditch that was filled with water behind his residence on County Seat Highway Georgetown.

Troopers say the right rear tire of tractor slipped off the ditch bank, which caused the vehicle to overturn onto its top, trapping the victim under the water in the ditch.

Authorities are reporting the man drowned, and initial investigations say the incident was accidental. However, Troopers say the Delaware Division of Forensic Science was contacted and responded to the scene in order to remove the body, and an autopsy will be conducted in an attempt to determine the cause and manner of death.

Officials from the Collision Reconstruction Unit are continuing their investigation into this incident.