West Sussex: Man dies after being hit by rolling tractor.
A man died after being hit by a tractor that rolled down an incline. Richard Ellis died on October 23, 2023, at Harwoods Green Lane, Stopham, near Pulborough.
Mr Ellis was collecting an electrical generator when he was forced to reverse his Isuzu pickup and trailer down a small route, getting stranded in a ditch.
He requested aid from local estate workers, who hauled the vehicle up the incline with the landowner’s 1996 Valmet 8130 tractor. The tractor was looking downhill and towards the front of the Isuszu, which was ascending the rise.
The reversing tractor dragged the Isuzu from the ditch after attaching a strap between the two vehicles’ front bumpers.
Mr Ellis and the tractor driver exited the vehicles after engaging the tractor’s handbrake and detaching the towing strap.
The tractor’s handbrake failed, and it rolled down the incline, colliding with both its driver and Mr Ellis, who died from his injuries at the spot.
The handbrake was investigated following the incident, and it was discovered that the pawl was “significantly worn and would likely have slipped previously”.
The tractor driver stated that he had no concerns regarding the handbrake prior to the incident. It hadn’t been serviced since 2021.
Coroner Joanne Andrews remarked in a report on preventing future deaths that there was no legal requirement for prescribed maintenance or repair of tractors used only for agricultural, horticultural, or forestry purposes.
Following Mr Ellis’ death, Ms Andrews sent the report to the Department of Transport because there was a possibility of future deaths because “the maintenance of these vehicles is dependent on the discretion of the vehicle owners”.
A copy of the report was also submitted to the Chief Coroner, Mr Ellis’ family, the tractor’s driver and owner, Southern Electric Power Distribution Plc, and Plateline Limited.
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