Cyclist badly hurt when straw bale fell from trailer

AFARM worker made a ‘catastrophic error’ when he failed to secure a straw bale that tumbled from a trailer and crushed a cyclist on a rural lane.

Matthew Shapcott, 39, was transporting bales to a Devon farm in Nether Exe but did not strap them in place, Exeter Crown Court was told.

Cyclist Kenneth Bridle tried to pass the JCB telehandler but as the driver braked a heavy bale rolled from the top of the pile and landed on top of him. He was rushed to hospital, his injuries so severe that surgeons put him into an induced coma.

The farm worker appeared in court and admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving. The court heard a moving statement from Mr Bridle and his wife who said their lives had been changed forever due to the actions of Shapcott.

Judge David Evans told the defendant: “This was not merely a piece of absentmindedness, it was a deliberate decision you took not to take an obvious safety action which you had engaged in before. You created a relatively brief and obvious danger, especially as regards vulnerable road users and of course you caused very significant harm.”

The incident happened on August, 2, 2019. Prosecutor Herc Ashworth said Shapcott loaded six round bales of straw side by side on the trailer with two more on top. Another bale was carried by the spike of the JCB telehandler which towed the trailer.

“The bales of straw were not secured to the trailer by any means, other than their own weight,” Mr Ashworth said.

Shapcott drove the unsecured load along a narrow rural road to Kitts Lane. His intention was to drive about a kilometre from the farm depot to the field but before he reached his destination he encountered Mr Bridle on an electric pedal bike. “He stopped to allow Mr Bridle to pass and one of the bales fell from the offside of the trailer. Mr Bridle was immediately rendered unconscious.”

Shapcott called the emergency services and the Devon Air Ambulance took the injured man to Derriford Hospital. He was suffering reduced levels of alertness and placed in an induced coma for 13 days. His injuries included bleeding on the brain, damaged vertebrae and a fractured shoulder bone as well as significant impairment to his eye resulting in reduced vision.

The defendant accepted his responsibility for the incident when police questioned him. He was experienced in the use of agricultural vehicles and had the required safety certificates.

He told police the bales were usually tied in firmly to the trailer and did not move. He would sometimes use straps if driving on uneven ground. He did not on this occasion because he was travelling a short distance over flat ground.

The Health and Safety Executive, which investigates workplace accidents, found it was ‘grossly inadequate’ that straps had not been used.

Charles Row, in mitigation, said Shapcott was a hard-working family man who had thought about the consequences of his actions every day. He was deeply sorry and wanted to apologise to the injured man.

Shapcott, of Wyndham Road, Silverton, was jailed for 12 months with the sentence suspended for 18 months, disqualified from driving for two years and told to do 140-hours of unpaid work.