It was a seemingly normal day of bush hogging on the family farm one Thursday afternoon when things took a sudden turn for the worse for Jim Wood, an environmentalist who has spent the past 18 years with the Butler County Health Department.

His tractor flipped over on top of him, causing one of the back tires of the vehicle to hit him across the stomach in the process.

This resulted in internal bleeding and a crushed pelvis that required Wood to be airlifted to Baptist Medical Center South in Montgomery.

After the tractor flipped over onto Wood, it continued to travel without an operator approximately 100 yards into the woods where it would eventually catch fire — a relatively safe distance from where he lay injured.

Mary Elizabeth Wood, Jim’s mother, insists that the runaway tractor did have an operator.

“Only by the grace of God is he alive,” she said. “He is a living miracle.”

Despite severe injuries, Wood managed to stay conscious from the moment of the accident until he reached the hospital, in which he echoed his mother’s thoughts about how he managed to survive.

Mary Elizabeth Wood said that he simply kept asking God to keep his injuries from becoming too severe until help could arrive.

In fact, if it weren’t for his audible prayers, help might not have come as fast as it did.

He is currently in stable condition at the Spain Rehabilitation Center at UAB with strict instructions to keep weight off his feet for the next three to six months.

There will be a blood drive held in Fred’s parking lot on June 30 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., where donations will also be gathered in support of Jim Wood.

The event will be sponsored by Bethel Baptist Church, where Jim Wood serves as a deacon.

Refreshments will be served, including hotdogs and drinks.