A retired aerospace engineer who had taken up farming was fatally crushed after operating an 'unsafe homemade lever' that had been historically fitted by a previous owner. A jury inquest at Exeter's County Hall heard how 67-year-old Philip Taylor became a part-time farmer after he and his wife moved to farmland in Ashwater, Beaworthy, in 1994.
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 passed away by his wife Elizabeth on June 25, 2021, reports Devon Live.
The inquest on June 13 heard the tractor of the engine was still running and multiple emergency services attended, including the fire brigade. The cause of his death was crushed asphyxia.
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In a statement, Mrs Taylor told how they had met when she was 17 and he was 23 years old, and they had gone on to get married and have two children together. He worked for British Airways and in 1992 they moved to Devon.
Two years later he started farming on a part-time basis and they kept cows, sheep and horses and also converted two barns into holiday lets. She recalled that a month before his death, he had purchased a second-hand John Deere tractor but when it had been 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." Describing the shock of Mr Taylor's sudden death, she said: "I have lost the love of my life. It's unfair he has been taken from me."
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, the time for the topper to lift from fully down to up was 1.9 seconds.
However, the vehicle was fitted with an additional hydraulic short lever fitted which meant the topper could be operated from the rear of the vehicle.
Mr Chapman said: "It is not the recommended way of doing it and it should not have been fitted." He added: "I have never seen a lever fitted there before. 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 told how 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.
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