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Klenda recovering from tractor mishap

Steve Klenda of rural Lincolnville is at home and recovering after a May 10 tractor accident.

Klenda said he was out in a hay field and, while standing on the ground in front of a rear tire, was checking to see if the tractor would start.

The tractor lurched forward, running over him. It was pulling a baler, which also rolled over him.

He said he lost his sight for a minute but didn't lose consciousness. His first thought was what would happen to his tractor.

(The tractor and baler continued across the field until the loader bucket mounted on front of the tractor hit a tree and killed the tractor motor. The tractor was not damaged.)

Klenda was discovered 20 minutes later by Russell Kerbs of Tampa.

"Call an ambulance," he remembers telling Kerbs.

He said he can't remember being in pain, but he was sedated and transported by rescue helicopter to Stormont-Vale Regional Health Center in Topeka.

Doctors found he had suffered a broken jaw and fractured thumb, right shoulder, and pelvis, and his right lung was punctured.

He spent two weeks in the hospital, where he underwent surgery on his jaw and a metal plate was inserted in the roof of his mouth.

"I can't walk through a metal detector because the metal will set it off," he said.

He continues to recover at home and is able to get around with a walker. His dentures no longer fit, so he lives on a mostly liquid diet. He plans to have the dentures refitted in six months.

Klenda has multiple sclerosis and is on disability. He figures he should be fully recovered from the accident in about two months.

"I'm thankful for all the people who helped me and prayed for me," he said.

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