Tragic incident at Tractor Pulling Event BH Monday

[TvrJohn]

Monday, August 27, 2007 at Greater Eccleston near Preston
Jan van Alphen not with us anymore


On Sunday, August 26 a tragic accident during the tractor pull in Great Eccleston, Great Britain has lost the life of Jan van Alphen driver of the modified tractor Popeye.

Jan, a well-known tractor puller in Europe as well as in the United States, has been involved in tractor pulling since the introduction of the sport in The Netherlands in 1979. Jan has an impressive list of National and European Championship titles.

We will remember Jan as a pioneer in the sport and as a man who was always willing to share his knowledge with others in the sport.

Our thoughts are with his wife Thea, John, Tonny and Sandra, and other family and friends. We wish them a lot of strength to cope with this terrible loss.

[Adz The Rat]

Heard about that in paper.
A sad thing to happen

[Pistuphead]

Went the day before, his machine was something else, one of the loudest things I've ever heard. Huge respect for the man along with all the other tractor pullers, there's alot of skill involved.

[Marki]

What happened ?

[Pistuphead]

Not sure exactly but I think it was either the sled ran off the hitch and rode up on top of him or the weight ran forward and over him. Sounded really horrible.

[Marki]

Pistuphead said:

Not sure exactly but I think it was either the sled ran off the hitch and rode up on top of him or the weight ran forward and over him. Sounded really horrible.

Oww

[Lois]

Oh gosh. I was at a Tractor Pulling event in Great Ecc last summer. Must have been horrifying for all involved.