The farmer connection happened to me as well...
A1, circa 1976, dark and raining, i was doing about 50 in a Landrover (thankfully i suspect)
I looked at my mate who'd fallen asleep for maybe 2 seconds...looked back at the road...
...tractor tyre !!!!
He's just come out of a field, no lights and parked up to close the gate and left one wheel on the very small section of hard shoulder.
BANG, i hit it, Landrover lurched up and over to about 45 degrees..a couple bangs and bounces, i'm still holding the steering wheel..leant over at 45 degrees....then.......nothing !!!.
Its amazing how the impact is erased from your memory. I couldnt get out the driver side, we were on our side in a ditch. Passenger door wouldnt open, we had to crawl out the back door, shaken and wondering how the hell we managed to get away with a cut to my hand and i dont think my mate had a scratch on him.
3.5ltr LWB Landrover, no seatbelts worn back then, 50 mph into a static object, on two wheels, over the central reservation at 45 degrees (that was the couple of bangs)...and bang...across a thankfully empty opposing carriageway and BANG...into a ditch nose first.
Passenger door wouldnt open because the impact with the tractor had rippled all the panels and doors down the nearside.
One small cut on my hand.....oh and 3 points and a fine for driving without due care..which TBF was a fair cop, although it did seem unfair at the time that the tractor driver got away scott free for having no lights.
If id been driving a car..i suspect i'd have never seen that night out.