A groundsman at a Cornish beauty spot died in a horrific grass-cutting accident when a blade shot off a mower and into his heart, an inquest has heard. Nic Osborne, 60, was operating a remote-controlled lawnmower which moved around on caterpillar tracks when the tragedy happened.
Mr Osborne's death has been investigated by health and safety officials after it was suspected he was killed by a blade flying off and striking him. As part of his role, he was required to mow steep, rough and largely inaccessible grassland on the sprawling area around St Nectan’s Glen, an area of woodland along the banks of the River Trevillet near Tintagel.
The mower was an X ROT 80 manufactured by Italian company Barbieri, CornwallLive reports. It was designed to be used in any area, including those deemed too dangerous to mow by hand including next to motorways and railway lines, and housed several large blades connected by bolts and bespoke joints.
Mr Osborne started working at St Nectan's Glen in May 2019. At just after 4.30pm on July 1 of that year, the site's assistant manager, Matt Ward, found Mr Osborne lying on his back on the ground, badly injured.
Paramedic Charles Graham, who was called to the scene, told the inquest: “It soon became apparent to Mr Ward that Mr Osborne was dead. He called 999 and covered him with a blanket.
“He told me Mr Osborne had been using a remote control ground cutter on caterpillar tracks and thought it odd he could hear an audio warning, indicating it was out of range from the control unit. Some time later he investigated the noise and found the unit 20 yards from Nic.
“Mr Ward thought he’d had a heart attack at first, but it became clear it was due to injury and blood loss, and thought it might be an accident.”
Mr Osborne, who founded a local rugby club and also worked as a PE teacher at a primary school, was lying on a dirt path up an embankment on the grounds, with a safety helmet on the ground next to him. He was wearing the controls for the mower, which was operated via a body-worn unit.
He had lost a lot of blood, and had suffered a chest wound measuring around 7cm. Next to him was a bloodstained cutting blade from the X ROT 80.
A post-mortem report said Mr Osborne died from damage to his heart due to a “grass cutter projectile injury”. The inquest is being held in front of a jury in Truro, and will examine whether the death was as a consequence of equipment failure or whether the maintenance, instruction or supervision for using the remote mower played a part.
Mr Osborne's wife Alison told jurors that she became concerned when, by around 6pm on July 1, she hadn’t heard from her husband. She was told later that evening that he had died.
She told the inquest her husband, who had previously been in charge of health and safety at the primary school he’d worked at, expressed concerns about his new job in the time before his death. “He was responsible for various maintenance tasks,” she said.
“He always loved working outside and fixing things. In the short time he worked there he mentioned things about health and safety there and made observations about certain things he didn’t think were right.
“For example, steps not being highlighted, people not knowing where first aid was. Nic wasn’t complaining, he was just noticing these things.”
She said her husband "didn't feel he could make changes as he was new," but added that he "did make comments hoping they’d be taken notice of." She described him as a "local legend in the rugby world" and a "wonderful kind man".
The inquest continues. It is scheduled to run for two days.
