Devon farmer crushed to death in tractor accident in Beaworthy, inquest told

A farmer was crushed to death in Devon after operating an 'unsafe homemade lever', an inquest has heard.

Philip Taylor, 67, was a retired aerospace engineer who had taken up farming and moved to Ashwater in Beaworthy with his wife in 1994.

The inquest at Exeter's County Hall heard that in May 2021, he purchased a second-hand tractor which was between 27 to 34 years old to assist with farm duties and also a topper.

The father-of-two had finished sharpening cutting blades on his tractor topper in a barn on their farm when he was found dead by his wife Elizabeth on June 25 2021.

The inquest heard the tractor's engine was still running and multiple emergency services attended, including the fire brigade.

The cause of his death was crushed asphyxia. Describing the shock of Mr Taylor's sudden death, his wife said: "I have lost the love of my life. It's unfair he has been taken from me."

She remembered that a month before his death, he had purchased a second-hand John Deere tractor but when it was delivered it was 'not in amazing condition' and had not been worth the money they had paid for it.

She said: "I personally thought it was a pile of rubbish."

Forensic vehicle examiner Geoffrey Chapman told the inquest how the topper on the tractor was rear-mounted and had twin rotating cutting blades which had recently been sharpened.

He explained how a hydraulic lever which operated the topper was fitted inside the cab of the tractor and could not be operated from the outside. As a log had been placed under the topper as an extra safety precaution while sharpening the blades, it took 1.9 seconds for the topper to lift fully.

However, the vehicle was fitted with an additional hydraulic short lever which meant the topper could be operated from the rear of the vehicle.

Mr Chapman said he had never seen a lever fitted there before, adding: "It is not the recommended way of doing it and it should not have been fitted."

He continued: "This modification was fitted by someone at sometime in the past life of the tractor."

Further details about how it came to be fitted was provided in evidence from Health and Safety Executive inspector Simon Jones.

He told the inquest the additional lever was 'unsafe' and put the operator in a 'position of danger' and would have required approval from the manufacturer of the tractor.

He said: "I think it was a home made adaptation by someone in the past; I don’t think it was purchased off the shelf and incorrectly fitted."

He explained it was likely Mr Taylor had been lowering the blades of the topper after sharpening them when the 'unintentional' incident occurred.

He said: “It’s speculation, but it is more likely than not he wished to lower the implement and has moved the lever in the wrong direction.”

He added he had spoken to the farmer who had the tractor for 10 years who said he did not fit or have any knowledge of the additional lever.

Mr Jones said: "It appears to have some paint overspray on it which is perhaps an indication it had been there for some time. I am unable to say how long that lever had been there based on the statement from the previous farmer."

The inspector also acknowledged how Mr Taylor was an experienced engineer and farmer, and there were clear signs he was 'safety conscious'.

A spokesperson for the family said: "The family feel very much the tractor was substandard and was not safe when it was sold."

The jury reached a conclusion of accidental death.