STAPLES, Minn.– The Wadena County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call on Thursday, July 18 at 6:13 p.m. of a farm equipment rollover accident with the operator pinned underneath in Bullard Township.

The accident took place along Wadena County Road 30, Section 13 of Bullard Township, east of Wahoo Valley, and north of Staples.

Law enforcement, fire and rescue, and medical personnel responded to the scene and located a front-end loaded tractor, lying upside down in the ditch along county road 30 with the operator pinned under it.

The frontend load operator, John Berger, age 79 of Frazee, was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

According to the Wadena County Sheriff’s Office, the department was assisted by the Staples Police Department, Staples Fire and Rescue, Lakewood Health Ambulance Service, Karvonen Funeral Home, and Scott’s Southtown Towing.