Man crushed in farming accident where 'muck spreader's brakes failed' (2025)

Bradley Beck, 21, from Co Antrim, was tragically killed in a farming accident where he is believed to have been crushed after a "muck spreader" didn't have working brakes, an inquest heard

A tractor driver died after being crushed in a farming accident where a "muck spreader" lacked working brakes, an inquest heard.

Bradley Beck, 21, from Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, was tragically killed while spreading manure in a field near the Gobbins Road, Islandmagee. A nine-person jury heard how he suffered "severe" and "unsurvivable" chest injuries described as being "consistent" with "either the trailer of the tractor rolling over the top of this man" in the inquest at Antrim courthouse.

A statement from the first person on the scene, a neighbour who was tending to sheep, was read aloud on Monday. The neighbour found the young man with "no movement" and described him as being a "very bad colour". After moving to get phone reception to call emergency services, she attempted CPR for "around 30 minutes".

She said, in her statement, she was "very saddened and distressed at the loss of such a young man, in such a way". The air ambulance, fire service and police attended the scene.

An inspector with the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland, in his evidence to the inquest on Monday, said Mr Beck had likely lost control of the tractor and trailer on a steep slope while working in the field.

A report prepared by the HSENI found that one of the brakes on the trailer - described as a "muck-spreader" during the inquest - had seized at some point prior to the incident, and hadn't been connected to the tractor.

Counsel to the coroner, barrister Michael Boyd, addressed the health and safety inspector saying: "Of course, in the aftermath of a tragedy like this the machinery is subject to a very thorough inspection by health and safety and by police, quite often. That is what took place in this case as well. The tractor was in good mechanical condition but defects associated with the brakes of the spreader were noted.

"The driver side brake of the spreader was effectively useless, so not only was it not connected to the tractor but the actual brakes itself on that side was defective." The inquest heard how Mr Beck had likely lost control of the machinery as he descended a slope in the field, reported BelfastLive.

The health and safety inspector said: "The tractor was descending with a very heavy load on the back, the load was partially shed. If the machine is fully and correctly loaded, the front of the spreader would cause downward pressure on what we call the draw bar of the tractor.

"When the spreader is filled correctly there will be downward pressure. If the load was partially shed, that would reduce the downward load on that draw bar which would give the back wheels of the tractor less traction - so when Mr Beck was going down the slope and he tried to control the tractor he may have felt the back brakes not gripping. And because the hydraulic brakes were not connected up to the manure spreader, he effectively had no control over the tractor and the spreader.

"Obviously a braking system is there to control, to control the tractor and the trailed machine. It all depends at what stage those brakes are applied whether they can prevent the incident from happening. If the brakes were applied early enough, and the hydraulic brakes had been connected up, possibly there's a chance he would have been able to control or at least come to a stop."

The inquest also heard that it appeared Mr Beck was not wearing a seat belt when the accident happened, and he was "thrown" from the cab of the tractor when he lost control of the vehicle.

Pathologist Dr Peter Ingram told the inquest that, following a post mortem investigation, the cause of death was determined to be chest injuries.

"There were severe, unsurvivable injuries to this gentleman's chest," Dr Ingram said, with injuries including serious damage to his heart, lungs, and ribs. He said the 21-year-old's death would have been "incredibly rapid" and the injuries were consistent with "either the trailer or the tractor rolling over the top of this man".

Mr Beck's employer, William Patton, also gave evidence to the inquest on Monday. He described the young man as a "very good, qualified tractor driver" who was a "very competent" employee.

Mr Patton, who said he had over 30 years experience driving tractors, expressed the view that working brakes on the trailer would not have "helped". "You would have went down as if on ice," he said. The inquest is to hear further evidence on Tuesday.