Farmer fatally crushed after ‘dog set tractor off ’
A MILLIONAIRE dairy farmer was accidentally killed by his dog after the animal reportedly set his tractor into motion, crushing him.
Derek Mead, 70, who was also a property developer and a local councillor, suffered a heart attack after the “tragic accident” on his farm on Sunday afternoon.
It is understood that Mr Mead was crushed by a JCB farm loader, a machine used to transport heavy materials.
The dog is thought to have entered the cab and accidentally started the vehicle, according to a source close to the farmer’s family.
It is believed that the animal may have knocked the gear stick forwards.
Police and paramedics were called to The Laurels in Hewish, near Weston-supermare, north Somerset, shortly after 2pm.
Two response vehicles, an ambulance and an air ambulance arrived as rescuers tried to save the father of three, who was in cardiac arrest.
In a statement, the Mead family, who have been farming in Somerset since the 1400s, described the death as a “terrible loss”.