Lake Devernia man dies in tractor rollover

A 73-year-old man died Wednesday after he was reportedly crushed to death when the tractor he was driving apparently fell off a retaining wall on the eastern side of Lake Devernia.
According to Gregg County Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace Tim Bryan, David Cates was taking care of his yard in the 900 block of E. Lake Devernia Rd.
“They had just built a house in the last few months. He was out in the front yard,” Bryan reported. Cates had borrowed a friend’s older model tractor. “Something happened where the tractor got too close to the retaining wall. He got close to the edge, one wheels falls off and then the whole tractor fell off.”
The tractor had no roll bar or seatbelt Bryan could see. He pronounced Cates’ death on the scene.
With head trauma and other crushing injuries, Bryan said, it’s unlikely Cates suffered: “I think the tractor rolled over and caused some trauma that probably would have killed him instantly.”