'Happy-go-lucky' Gwynedd paramedic killed by tree he was cutting down

A paramedic was killed when the tree he was cutting down fell on him, an inquest has heard.

Grandfather Robin Parry Jones, 57, was found unconscious by a dog walker pinned under the large tree in a field.

An inquest heard Robin was chopping down the tree on a day off when it fell and he was trapped for hours.

The father-of-two was pronounced dead at the scene by a fellow first responder from the ambulance service called in by a 999 call.

Coroner Katie Sutherland said he had been cutting down the tree for an acquaintance since early in the morning on June 23 and was not discovered until 9.40pm that night.

The hearing was told Robin, of Dinas, near Caernarfon, was found "pinned underneath a large tree in the field".

Ms Sutherland said: "I ordered a post-mortem examination which was undertaken by Dr Mark Atkinson on June 29 with a provisional cause of death given as asphyxia.

"The inquest is hereby formally opened, and will be adjourned on the basis that it appears to have been a tree falling on to Mr Jones leading to the cause of his death.

"All circumstances are to be determined at the inquest which is now adjourned pending completion of further investigations."

His wife Bethan and two children were described as devastated by the tragedy.

Health chiefs said tragic Robin had worked for the Welsh Ambulance Service for more than 20 years having started as a trainee ambulance technician before qualifying as a paramedic.

'A loveable happy-go-lucky person'

Jason Killens, chief executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: "Robin was a much-respected, loveable and happy-go-lucky person who was well known in the Pwllheli community.

"He was one of the original community first responder ‘champions’, a true advocate for volunteers who became an integral link between volunteers and local stations.

"Robin, who was originally from Caernarfon, had a real passion for community resilience, and his commitment to support volunteers in his own time is a reflection of his character.

"In his spare time, Robin was a keen fisherman and a member of the local shooting community with fellow colleagues from Pwllheli.

"A proud grandfather, Robin also loved dogs and had started a local dog grooming service.

"The sudden and sad loss of Robin will be felt by all those that knew him, and we would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to Robin’s family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time.

"This will be an especially difficult time for operational colleagues in Pwllheli, who last year also lost paramedic Anthony Stephens, and in 2016, John Clift of the Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service.

"All of us at the Welsh Ambulance Service work every day to contribute to the effort of saving lives, but we can never be prepared enough when it comes to assisting the ones we are the closest to."

The hearing in Caernarfon was adjourned to a later date.

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