It had been a wet spring making haying nearly impossible. The weather was nice so he was busy trying to catch up. He was in a hurry. On a Saturday evening in May of 2003, Allen was making round bales to feed his livestock. The belts on the new round baler became misaligned on the rollers. After repeated attempts to fix them, he climbed on top of the baler with the engine running and tried to realign the belts. He says he should have known better. But he was in a hurry. His right hand got caught and then his left. He couldn’t pull them out. He had to wait an hour for his son to return so the tractor could be turned off and his hands released. A cell phone call to 911 ended with a med flight to a Louisville Kentucky Hand Center. He lost both hands that evening.

Allen Hicks of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, continues to operate his 50 head cattle farm. He sells square baled hay to horse ranchers locally and out of state. During the day he works as office manager for a car dealership, a job he has held for 18 years. His full time agricultural operation is done on evenings and weekends. Allen was out of the hospital on Thursday following his injury and working at the dealership on Friday. A week later he was supervising the haying operation on his ranch. Not long after that he was back haying himself.

Allen makes 50 lb square bales with his Hoelscher accumulator. The bales are 14" x 18" x 36" and stack easily. He uses a tractor loader to place bales on a wagon and then stacks them in his barn until they are sold.

Allen is able to handle the whole haying process from field to barn to market or feed. This has been accomplished through a combination of modifications to his equipment and the willing help of friends and neighbors. In order to enter the tractor cab and start the engine, Allen has to push small buttons. Since pushing the buttons has been problematic, a neighbor offers him the assistance needed to get in and start the tractor. He is able to push the inside cab door lever to get out of the tractor.

Another obstacle had been the joystick on his loader, which also required a release button to be pushed and both hands to move into position. He bypassed the joystick by rerouting the hydraulic hoses to the back of the loader. The plug-ins in the back are operated by levers inside the cab. He steers and handles the levers with his elbows.

Allen and John Hancock from AgrAbility Kentucky have just started working together. Allen is hoping AgrAbility can find ways for him to be more independent in his operation. For starters, John is considering methods to handle getting into and starting the tractor. They also have discussed an automatic hitch to connect the tractor and hay wagons. A squeeze chute would help to automate cattle handing. Allen also hopes to find methods to connect and disconnect hydraulic hoses when he changes equipment.

Recently fitted with his second prosthesis, Allen started physical therapy sessions three times per week. He says that the toughest part of this incident has been losing some of his independence. “I can operate the baler but can’t brush my teeth…go figure.” Allen seems confident that, with time and practice, he will be able to handle most, if not all, of his daily living needs. Until that time comes, he stays with his mother and sister who help with daily personal needs.

This farm incident has made him think more about how he works. He hopes telling his story will do the same for others. He is much more conscious of his own safety as well as those who work with or for him. Now he makes sure that he has someone around in case he needs help and he reminds others of safety practices. Even though he works two jobs, he tries to take his time and not make hasty, impulsive decisions that could cause injuries to him or others.

Another realization coming out of his injuries has been awareness of the goodwill of family and friends. He said he hadn’t consciously thought about what really good people there were around him. That night in May when his friends and neighbors finished haying for him so that he had one less worry to contend with and many nights thereafter, heightened his understanding of their goodness.