Popular farmers market vendor on the road to recovery after accident

Meet Henry Brockman from Henry’s Farm. Brockman is popular at the Evanston Farmers’ Market. However, he hasn’t been to the market this year because of an accident. On March 4, he was run over by Brockman’s tractor.

On March 28, Brockman wrote a long email to subscribers to his newsletter, describing what had happened, his luck and road to recovery, and his short-term plans. It’s a remarkable story.

The RoundTable spoke with Brockman and his wife Hiroko via Zoom on June 26. He is optimistic, positive, thoughtful and, above all, deeply grateful.

“I appreciate every day more,” he said.

Nearly four months after his accident, Brockman is back to work full-time, although he admits he is “not as strong, agile or fast as he was before the accident.” He no longer requires physical therapy, walks unaided and remains optimistic about his recovery and life in general.

The accident

Henry’s Farm is located in Congerville, Illinois. He grew up on a farm and always loved farm life. He owns 25 acres of land and uses half of it each year to grow vegetables and the other half is left fallow. Brockman said he grows more than 600 different types of vegetables. He explains his farming philosophy in detail on his website.

When Brockman had his accident, he was in the field and had to get a tool from his shed. He parked the tractor near the shed, about 50 feet from the back door of his house. When he returned to the tractor, Brockman admitted he made two serious mistakes: He forgot to make sure the tractor was in neutral before starting it, and he started it while standing in front of the rear tire instead of sitting in the driver’s seat.

The first mistake was a muscle memory error that he says he still doesn’t understand. The second mistake was risky on a good day, but turned into a disaster by the first mistake. When he turned on the tractor, the wheels immediately started moving. The force knocked him over, right into the track of the right rear tire.