The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
ATV safety warning issued after accident
Quad bikes are the latest piece of farm equipment to be highlighted in this week’s nationwide focus on farm safety.
Injuries caused by improper use of equipment remains one of the main causes of accidents on Scotland’s farms and crofts, and father-daughter duo Jimmy and Carol-Anne Warnock discovered this the hard way.
Jimmy, who along with Carol-Anne farms Sandilands Farm in Lanark, explained: “We had already drawn some lambs in for the market and we were going to the other farm to draw more in.
“When Carol-Anne was tagging the first lot, she came out and jumped on the trailer which attached to my quad bike. On our way to the second lot, the trailer jumped off the ball of the bike. At the time Carol-Anne was standing on the drawbar and she went straight on to the tarmac road, hitting her head.
Carol-Anne sustained facial injuries, breaking her cheekbone, jawbone and many teeth. She also suffered memory loss, having no recollection of the event. She was taken by air ambulance to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow where she stayed for 12 days.
Her father said it was an entirely avoidable accident.
He added: “It tends to be the person driving the quad who wears the helmet, and unfortunately for Carol-Anne on this occasion she was the one who was exposed and suffered the consequences.”
NFU Scotland advised: “It is important to remember “one seat, one bum” when using an ATV vehicle. If there is only one seat, it is because only one person should be on the vehicle. Carol-Anne’s injuries were severe, but the outcome could have been much worse. The injuries suffered during this incident highlight just how dangerous an ATV accident can be.”