God’s Hand on aFarmer

By Darlene Palmer

Every now and then something extraordinary happens and, for one farmer in Hamilton, Alabama, the unfolding events of this story changed his life forever. Carl Lucas, owner of Lucas Farms, started out his day Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019, by heading to the shed to bag corn. As usual, he met with his friend and fellow farmer, Danny Ray, owner of Ray Farms, to get the day rolling and get many bags of corn out. But, on this day, something different happened.

Carl was reaching near the auger as the corn was moving up the elevator to the grain bin when the wind blew his shirt sleeve into the power take-off. Carl was jerked in under the auger, flipping him three times causing his left arm to be pulled off near the shoulder. Another friend and farmer, Johnny Ray, jumped into action by turning off the auger. Without hesitation, one of Carl’s workers, Derek Palmer, jumped off the ladder at the top of the grain bin and crawled up under the auger to get to Carl. With an adrenaline rush, Derek picked up Carl, who was twice his weight, and pulled him out. Carl’s arm was pumping out blood. His face had turned gray.

Johnny cut Carl’s T-shirt, and both he and Derek wrapped what was left of his left arm in a handmade tourniquet. With those life-saving efforts, the blood flow stopped. Johnny continued to brace Carl’s head in his lap. Carl could not move his left leg which appeared to be broken, so Derek braced the leg to prevent any further movement. Amazingly, during this time, a still conscious Carl told Derek to go close the door on the grain bin because the corn was falling out. Derek did just that.

Danny quickly called 911 and stayed on the phone giving directions and waiting on the Hamilton RPS and Hamilton Fire and Rescue to arrive. After observing Carl, the paramedics did not see any blood at that time leaking from the tourniquet, so they decided to put another medical tourniquet over the handmade one. While being put in the ambulance, a paramedic asked Carl how he was doing and Carl replied, “I am doing fine. You need to go check on the other three at the shed.”

Due to the seriousness of Carl’s injuries, there was a need for Air Evac to transport him to a hospital. Fortunately, there happened to be a landing strip near the shed area, so the helicopter was able to land close by to meet the ambulance. During this time, Carl’s wife, Glenda, son Richard and daughter Amanda had received the devastating news of his accident and rushed to the scene. As Carl was being transferred to the helicopter, his daughter remembered him saying in a calm and comforting tone, “I will be just fine.”

Carl was flown to the UAB hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, where his doctors had the crucial responsibility of examining his injuries. As the doctors examined his left arm area, one doctor said that the swiftly applied, handmade tourniquet had saved Carl’s life. Not only having to deal with the loss of his left arm, Carl also suffered a compound fracture in his left leg and both ankles were broken. He never lost consciousness. The doctors and medical staff stated that they had never seen a person go through that much trauma and remain conscious. He remained conscious until he had to go into surgery.

The Lucas family arrived at the hospital where they were surrounded by friends and church members. Carl and Glenda attend church services at the Fulton Bridge Baptist Church in Hamilton where he has served as a deacon for 35 years. Prayers were being prayed all over the hospital waiting area as family and friends anxiously awaited any news from the doctors. After a few hours, the doctors finally told the family that due to the complexity of Carl’s injuries, there was no guarantee he would even survive through the night. By the grace of God, he did survive.

During the next 34 days at UAB, Carl had 11 surgeries. As the hours turned to days and the days to weeks at the hospital, Glenda remained steadfast by her husband’s side, holding his hand and praying for the man to whom she had been married since Oct. 30, 1965.

Carl was given a prayer shawl from the Hamilton United Methodist Church and he continuously wore the prayer shawl in faith. During some of those trying days, the doctors would tell Carl that he would probably never farm again and he would always confidently reply, “I will farm again before too long. I have too much work to do.”

Carl Lucas with his son, Richard Lucas, who is employed at the Marion County Co-op in Hamilton.

Carl was later transferred to The Meadows’ Rehabilitation Unit in Fulton, Mississippi (about 15 miles west of Hamilton). Before the accident, he would get up at 4 a.m., get dressed and then head out to the local restaurant. This is where he would meet up with the local farmers to talk about the weather, crops and plans for the rest of the day. One thing Carl missed was the homemade biscuits from that restaurant. His farmer friends decided that they would take turns picking up the homemade biscuits and delivering them to Carl.

Carl Lucas had several visitors during his 74 days at The Meadows. These visitors would go see Carl in hopes of lifting his spirits, but before leaving there, they would realize that he was the one lifting them up through his unceasing inspiration and faith in God.

Carl, now 74, was away from home for a total of 108 days. He returned home on March 13, 2020, with the eager desire to get back to farming. His journey back to the fields was not an easy one, but as each day passed, Carl gathered inner strength to keep going. His thoughts would reflect back to when he farmed fields for family-friend Wade Rollins. In those years of learning and experimenting with innovative farming techniques (some by trial and error), Carl became a successful farmer. Those experiences have led Carl to share his valuable knowledge to upcoming young farmers in the area.

On May 20, 2020, Carl decided that the time had come to get back on the tractor. He couldn’t wait to see the green grass, breathe the fresh air and plant his crops. Different creative thoughts came into play as to how he was going to make this work. With help from his son and friends, Carl was lifted in the bucket of one tractor to be able to reach the inside of the other tractor. Finally, he slid into the tractor seat and started the ignition! And oh, what a feeling of excitement! Tears of joy rolled down the faces of those watching these miraculous moments!

With Carl’s strong determination, perseverance and faith in God, he started farming. He now gets into the tractor without assistance and has farmed over 500 acres this year. When Carl is seen operating a tractor out in the fields, people watch with amazement and disbelief. He is often asked the question of how he is able to do this, and Carl will reply, “I can’t give up. I have farming to do.”

Carl’s family kept his torn-up overalls as a reminder of how thankful they are to still have him with them. Due to his injuries, Carl had worn loose fitting clothes for several months, but Oct. 27, 2020, Carl put on a brand-new pair of overalls with a smile on his face.

Besides being actively involved with farming, Carl enjoys his three grandchildren: Makayla Reese, Jacob Lucas and Bella Winsett. He also stays busy serving as a County Committee member for the USDA.

So, there is no question that this is an extraordinary story, but also that Carl Lucas is an extraordinary man. Still, when talking about that day, Carl will pull out a tissue and wipe his eyes because even though this was a terrible experience, a miracle still happened. To sum it up, he truly lives the story of “God’s Hand on a Farmer.”

Carl Lucas with his family, Amanda Winsett (daughter), Glenda Lucas (wife), Carl and Richard Lucas (son).