Farmer dies after vehicle accident at livestock mart

The farmer was airlifted to hospital by Yorkshire Air Ambulance following the accident
The farmer was airlifted to hospital by Yorkshire Air Ambulance following the accident

A farmer has died of his injuries after he was struck by a vehicle at a livestock market in North Yorkshire.

The tragic accident happened at Ruswarp Mart, located in Whitby, North Yorkshire on Wednesday 7 October.

He was injured by a hauler's vehicle exiting the market's loading docks, according to a statement by auctioneer Robert Smith.

North Yorkshire Police attended the scene, and he was airlifted to hospital by Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

However, the farmer recently died in hospital following surgery, Mr Smith said.

"Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time and our community are grieving the loss," he added.

"We are liaising with Health and Safety authorities, the Police, the hauliers, and the family as part of the investigative process."

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), being run over by agricultural vehicles and machinery is a major cause of death in the farming industry.

The safety watchdog released figures earlier this year showing there were 20 fatal injuries to agricultural, forestry and fishing workers in 2019/20.

Despite the fall in deaths compared to the year before, the industry still continues to account for a large share of the annual fatality count.

It has the highest rate of fatal injury of all the main industry sectors, around 18 times as high as the all industry rate.

Recent tragedies include an Aberdeenshire farmer who was killed in September following an incident involving a bull.