Ex-bus driver died after his car hit tractor
Farm vehicle had broken down on A520
A RETIRED bus driver lost his life after crashing into a broken down tractor while he was driving at 40mph.
Bernard Hopwood, of Wilton Avenue, Werrington, died on January 19 after the collision which saw his light blue Ford Focus go up in flames.
The 81-year-old, born in Fenton, had only bought the car five months prior and would typically drive it four times a week, his inquest heard.
Due to an issue with his eyesight, he wore glasses while driving.
Two years ago he had a fall and fractured his hip. His brother, Kenneth Hopwood, told the inquest the pair had met three weeks before the crash and Mr Hopwood had been ‘complaining about hip pain.’
The collision took place on the A520 Leek Road, in Cellarhead, when the Ford Focus rammed into the tractor.
Daniel Kent, the driver of the tractor, says he had put on the hazard lights after it had ‘shut down.’
He said: “I pulled out on the A520 and a fault developed in the tractor and it shut down. I turned on the hazard lights and tried to start it a few times but it would not.
“At 8.36am I reported the problem and they said they will send someone to have a look. I called my boss and told him I had broken down.
“The tractor was fully functioning when leaving the farm”
HGV driver Robert Kirk was behind
Mr Hopwood minutes before the fatal collision and he says he clearly saw the tractor and proceeded to slow down.
He told the inquest: “The light blue Ford Focus in front of me was driving at the speed limit, we were driving at 40mph.
“I could see the tractor but the Ford Focus did not slow down, it went straight into the back.
“I couldn’t believe what I saw – we got him out as fast as we could and the car was on fire.”
A post mortem examination found that Mr Hopwood had a ‘large laceration’ to his forehead. He had also sustained fractured ribs and a fractured hip in the accident.
Pathologist Dr Mark Stevens said “It’s possible a significant cardiac event occurred prior to the accident.” Police investigations found there to be no evidence of intoxication.
Sergeant Paul Bradbury, a leading investigating officer for Staffordshire Police, said: “There were no mechanical faults in the tractor, it had an MOT. The Ford Focus had an MOT.
“There’s also no evidence of the use of a mobile phone.
“We have the dashcam footage from the HGV and it’s very clear the tractor was there to be seen, there’s no reason why he should not have seen it.”
Giving his cause of death as multiple injuries, assistant coroner Sukhdev Garcha said: “It’s possible a cardiac event occurred prior to and causing the accident. The conclusion is that his death was a result of a road traffic collision.”