Goldsmith’s daughter, 15, died trying to ‘spook’ friend on farm
THE teenage daughter of Ben Goldsmith was killed while trying to “scare” her friend by zig-zagging across a field in an off-road vehicle at her family’s farm, an inquest has heard.
Iris Goldsmith, daughter of financier and environmentalist, Ben, died after losing control of the six-seater Polaris Ranger – nicknamed The Mule.
The 15-year-old, who was taught how to drive the all-terrain vehicle by her father at the age of eight, was not wearing a seat belt and neither was her friend, Taunton coroner’s court heard.
The pair were flung from the ATV and landed under the roof.
The coroner heard Iris was pinned to the ground by her neck which resulted in her sustaining fatal injuries.
Staff from Cannwood Farm in North Brewham, Somerset, rushed to help but she was unconscious and died at the scene despite attempts at resuscitation.
In a statement, Mr Goldsmith described his daughter as a “force of nature” and said “nobody could have stopped her doing what she wanted to do”. He said the tragedy was an “amalgamation of bad luck”, but said she was well used to driving the vehicle from a very young age and had never seen her do so irresponsibly.
Coroner Tony Williams recorded a verdict of accidental death after hearing the two teenagers were on their way to collect another friend from a neighbouring farm at about 3pm on July 8 2019 when the accident occurred.
An examination of the vehicle showed it had low front brake pads, worn lower wishbone bushes and under-inflated tyres.
A collision investigator told the inquest it was a combination of a sharp right turn, the vehicle faults and not wearing a seat belt that culminated in Iris’s death.
Mr Williams said: “I think it’s fair to say that the various defects to the Polaris Ranger, if considered in isolation, would not have caused the vehicle to overturn.
“Also, Iris may have made the decision to get out of the vehicle as it rolled, which may have contributed to her death. Maybe if she had just held on inside, she wouldn’t have been killed.”