HGV driver killed following tractor’s handbrake malfunction
2nd October 2025
An HGV driver from West Sussex died after a tractor’s handbrake failed and rolled over him, the coroner has ruled.
Richard Ellis, 65, died on October 23rd 2023, in Stopham, after the handbrake malfunctioned on a tractor that had been towing his stranded pickup truck out of a ditch.
The HGV driver had been collecting an electricity generator from a country estate using a trailer at the time of the incident.
His truck was pulled out of the ditch by a tractor driven by a local estate worker. However, when they took the towing strap off the vehicles, the tractor’s handbrake failed, causing it to roll onto both men, BBC News reported.
The tractor driver survived, but Mr Ellis suffered serious chest injuries and died at the scene in October 2023.
After examining the handbrake, the experts found that the pawl of the handbrake was significantly worn and would likely have slipped before.
No requirements for maintenance or servicing
During the inquest into the death of Mr Ellis, the coroner Joanne Andrews raised concerns about the lack of legal servicing requirements for some agricultural vehicles.
In a Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) report to the Department for Transport (DfT), the coroner wrote: “The tractor had last been serviced in 2021, but the evidence that I heard was that it was not a legal requirement for there to be any prescribed maintenance or servicing of tractors solely used for agricultural, horticultural or forestry.”
She added: “As such, the maintenance of these vehicles is dependent on the discretion of the vehicle owners.”
The tractor driver said he had “no concerns” about the vehicle’s handbrake prior to the incident, according to BBC News.
The coroner warned that future deaths could occur if action was not taken.
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