A Ware County man died last week as a result of injuries suffered while operating heavy equipment while farming on Jamestown Road, Ware County Coroner David L. Jordan said.
Kevin Tatum, 62, of 4565 Swamp Road, died Wednesday morning, September 9 at the scene of the accident, said Jordan. He added a subsequent investigation identified mechanical concerns with the equipment, and a forensic autopsy was conducted to help establish the complete circumstances as well as cause and manner of death.
Tatum, owner of Tatum and Sons Land Clearing Company, was operating a Caterpillar D5K2 bulldozer while performing land-clearing operations with his son, according to Jordan. Tatum was an experienced equipment operator the investigation revealed.
At approximately 9:32 a.m., September 9, the Ware County 911 Center notified the Coroner’s Office of the incident. Jordan responded to the scene and arrived at approximately 10:05 a.m. Tatum was pronounced deceased at 10:10 a.m., Jordan said.
Because questions remained regarding the circumstances surrounding the incident, Jordan said the case was presented to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Medical Examiner’s Office in Pooler where Tatum’s body underwent the forensic autopsy.
The coroner said in addition to his investigation at the scene, a technician from Yancev Bros. Co., was called to examine the bulldozer and its available electronic data as part of the investigation. Yancey Bros. is a Georgia company with a Waycross location which specializes in heavy equipment sales, rental, maintenance and operation, according to its website.
The Ware County Sheriff's Office, Ware County Fire Department, Ware County EMS, and other responding personnel assisted at the scene, the coroner said.
Tatum is survived by his wife, Sonya Lee Tatum, as well as two children, Cinda Bryson (husband Alex) and Justin Tatum (wife, Melanie), all of Waycross. Numerous other numerous other relatives also survive.
A full obituary is on Page 3 of today’s Journal-Herald.
A funeral service was held Monday, September 14 at Sweat Memorial Baptist Church where Tatum was a member.
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