Following the death of a farmer at a Chudleigh in 2020, the Coroner has recommended that some tractors be banned in Tasmania.
67-year-old Ian John Barwick was killed after he was run over by a tractor while removing hay bales at his farm west of Launceston on June 9 2020.
In her newly published findings, Coroner Olivia McTaggart recommend that tractors made before 1982 should be legislatively prohibited from use in commercial farming operations.
The David Brown 780 tractor, which was over 50 years old, had several mechanical issues, including a non-operational handbrake, which significantly contributed to the unfortunate accident.
In 1977, the same tractor had rolled onto Mr Barwick’s father, causing his death.
Despite being aware that the tractor had mechanical issues, the family installed rollover protection on it following the tragedy and continued to use it on the farm on several occasions per year.
On the day of the 2020 accident, Mr Barwick left his farmhouse on the tractor to feed the cattle for the winter.
When he did not return, his wife became concerned and called their son who discovered his father under the tractor on State Reserve land near the farm.
The tractor’s back left wheel was on top of his torso and the engine was running but not in gear, with the handbrake disengaged.
Based on a reconstruction of events, it was suggested that Mr Barwick likely got off the tractor on a part of the track that appeared flat but had a 5.8% gradient.
This caused the tractor to roll forward, trapping him.
A crash investigator said it appeared Barwick tripped or fell in front of the moving tractor, leading to the accident.
The autopsy confirmed that Mr. Barwick died from traumatic mechanical asphyxia due to being run over by the tractor.
