Tractor Rollover Kills Man at July 4th Parade

A 78-year-old Grass Valley man was killed after the town’s Independence Day Parade when he was crushed by the tractor he was using to pull a paratrooper-themed float, police said.

The man, who was not identified, died of a fractured skull and brain swelling after the tractor flipped over in the downtown area of this small mountain town, authorities said.

Witnesses said that as parade participants were dispersing, the tractor tried to make a left turn at an excessive speed and rolled several times. A 79-year-old passenger also was flown to a Roseville hospital and released after treatment. Several bystanders were struck, but none required treatment, authorities said.