Man crushed to death by runaway tractor after handbrake failed

A HGV driver died after a tractor’s handbrake failed and rolled over him, an inquest has heard.

Richard Ellis had been collecting an electricity generator using a pickup truck and trailer in a rural West Sussex village when his vehicle got stuck in a ditch.

He wasn’t able to reverse out of a country lane because the track was too narrow, meaning his vehicle got stuck on an incline.

A worker at a nearby farm on Harwoods Green Lane in Stopham saw what happened and used a tractor to rescue Mr Ellis’s vehicle.

But after they removed the towing strap, the tractor’s handbrake failed and it rolled over both of them.

The tractor driver survived, but Mr Ellis, 65, suffered serious chest injuries and died at the scene in October 2023.

An inquest into his death was held earlier today, and the coroner raised concerns about the lack of legal servicing requirements for some agricultural vehicles.

During the inquest, area coroner Joanne Andrews heard that the tractor in question had last been serviced in 2021 – but the driver at the time of Mr Ellis’s death said he had no concerns about its handbrake beforehand.

The handbrake was examined after the incident and it was found the pawl was significantly worn, and would likely have slipped previously.

The coroner ruled Mr Ellis’s death was an accident, but has now published a Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) report highlighting the lack of legal requirements for maintaining some agricultural vehicles.

Ms Andrews said: ‘The evidence that I heard was that it was not a legal requirement for there to be any prescribed maintenance or servicing of tractors solely used for agricultural, horticultural or forestry.

‘As such, the maintenance of these vehicles is dependent on the discretion of the vehicle owners.’

The coroner warned that future deaths could occur if action was not taken.

She sent the PFD report to the Department of Transport, who must reply by November 22.

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