Farmer’s desperate attempt to call home

A DELORAINE Angus beef stud farmer tried to dial his home phone number before he lost consciousness in a fatal motorcycle crash, a coroner has found.

In her findings released yesterday, Coroner Olivia McTaggart ruled Christopher Mark Best, 58, died from a traumatic pulmonary artery rupture on December 21, 2017.

Pathologist Rosanne Devadas, who performed an autopsy on Mr Best, said the rupture was most likely caused by blunt trauma to the chest area sustained when he crashed into a closed farm gate.

The father-of-three, who had been regularly treated for several long-term conditions including heart palpitations, lived and worked on the 202ha farm at Deloraine.

Ms McTaggart said Mr Best left the house on his 2007 Honda CRF 150F motorcycle to move cattle about 8.30am on the day of his death.

His wife Tania Best became concerned when she returned home after 3pm and did not see the motorcycle at the house. The couple’s son, Cody Best, went to look for his father and found him lying deceased near a damaged gate on the farm at 3.50pm.

Crash investigator Constable Nigel Housego found that the motorbike was “not roadworthy or safe” because it had no working brakes and a sticking throttle which would not return to idle without rider input.

“The most likely reason for the crash is that Mr Best suffered a neurocardiogenic syncope [a temporary loss of consciousness due to a heart condition], while riding toward the gate, preventing him from taking the required action to stop the motorcycle,” Ms McTaggart said.

“The evidence suggests that Mr Best attempted to dial his home number after the crash before he lost consciousness.”