Patterson Irrigator

CROWS LANDING — A rescue crew removed the body of an 84-year-old farmer from the San Joaquin River on Monday, after his tractor plunged off an embankment into the water earlier that day.

Paul John Bernard of Crows Landing was pronounced dead after West Stanislaus Fire Protection District extracted his body about a quarter-mile north of Marshall Road near Moran Road.

“He probably knew this area like the back of his hand, but something wrong happened,” said Deputy Royjindar Singh of the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department.

recovery effort: Members of the Patterson Fire Department prepare to lift the body of a farmer who drowned when his tractor fell into the San Joaquin River on Monday morning. Melissa Carrick/Patterson Irrigator

A coroner’s report is pending, and Singh said it was unknown whether Bernard died of a heart attack, drowning or injuries from the crash.

Singh said Bernard’s wife had said he had left his home in his tractor around 10 a.m. Monday. Someone spotted the John Deere in the water around 12:40 p.m. The rescue crew found Bernard’s body at about 1:30 p.m., and he was pulled out of the river about 10 minutes later using a pulley system. Crows Landing and Patterson firefighters donned life vests, searched the area immediately around the tractor and found Bernard about 50 yards to the west.

Members of the local fire department were able to identify Bernard right away.

The tractor apparently fell into the river from a dirt road surrounded by long rows of corn to the south and an embankment to the north on property that Bernard owned.

river search: Rescue divers search the water in the San Joaquin River for the body of Paul John Bernard of Crows Landing. Bernard had lived in the area since 1970. Melissa Carrick/Patterson Irrigator

Bernard’s son, John Bernard, said Tuesday his father had moved to Crows Landing from Southern California in 1970 and had loved farming. His ranch contained corn, beans and alfalfa. Though Bernard had been retired, he would continue to do maintenance work on the ranch, even though family members tried to persuade him to settle down, his son said.

“He loved the ranch,” his wife, Margaret Bernard, said.

Bernard, a World War II veteran, was involved in Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Patterson.

Crows Landing resident Aileen Cabral said she was shocked to learn of Bernard’s death.

“It was a freak accident,” she said.

She said Bernard was an “able-bodied man” who had farmed in the area for many years.

“They’re very nice people,” Cabral said of Paul and Margaret Bernard.

The incident is the second tractor accident on the West Side this month. A man survived Aug. 2 after a tractor ran over him at Highway 33 and Frank Cox Road.

To reach Jonathan Partridge at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at
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