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Aug 03, 2023

Cambridgeshire farmer's crush death was an accident

A farm manager who was fatally crushed by a drill machine died accidentally, an inquest concluded. A jury heard evidence over three days into how Christopher Ascroft died while working at Wilbraham

A farm manager who was fatally crushed by a drill machine died accidentally, an inquest concluded.

A jury heard evidence over three days into how Christopher Ascroft died while working at Wilbraham Farms, near Cambridge.

Mr Ascroft, 65, suffered rib fractures and crushing to the chest, which resulted in asphyxiation, in February 2022.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The inquest in Peterborough was told Mr Ascroft went under farm machinery to adjust a centre jack when changing some tyres, and it slid and trapped him.

His colleague Philip Baines was working alongside him and said: "The whole drill came down on top of us.

"I shouted to Chris to see if he was OK and I didn't get a response."

The inquest heard how the East of England Ambulance Service and Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service were called and they had to work out a way to safely lift the machine, but Mr Ascroft was pronounced dead at the scene.

He had worked as a farmer at Wilbraham Farms for 40 years.

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Farmer crushed by heavy machinery, hears inquest

Cambridgeshire coroner