A farmer died of a traumatic brain injury after the tractor he was driving crashed on his farm in rural Galloway, a fatal accident inquiry has concluded. Brian McColm, 68, had a long history of seizures before the accident at Awhirk Farm at Ardwell near Stranraer in January 2024.
The inquiry found it was impossible to identify the cause of the crash, but said the most likely explanations were a steering system failure or McColm losing control because of a seizure. It also concluded there were no reasonable precautions that would have prevented his death four days later at the Galloway Community Hospital in Stranraer.
At Stranraer Sheriff Court, the inquiry heard the accident had happened at some point before 13:00 on 5 January 2024. McColm had suffered epileptic seizures for many years, with records of the condition going back to 1972 and the most recent episode about a year before the fatal crash.
On the day of the accident, William Barry, who sometimes helped on the farm, saw a red tractor sitting down a lane running parallel to a silage pit. As he went towards it, he noticed another blue tractor down a “steep drop” before McColm appeared with a large gash and blood running down his face.
Barry offered to take him to hospital, but McColm
became stroppyand was determined to get one tractor out of the ditch by using the other.
Barry left briefly, then returned to find McColm lying on the ground having a seizure. An ambulance took him to the Galloway Community Hospital, and attempts were made to transfer him to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, but his condition rapidly deteriorated and he died in the Stranraer hospital on 9 January.
In his findings, Sheriff Garry Sutherland said it was clear McColm had suffered seizures over a
number of years.
It also seems to be clear that, latterly, presumably of necessity, he required to work on in running his farm notwithstanding those and cope as best he could,he added.
He said it appeared McColm's blue tractor had hit a slurry tank and that was when the fatal injury had happened. He added that it was impossible to tell whether its front steering system had been damaged before or as a result of the crash.
The sheriff also found that even without the delays in getting treatment, nothing could have been
done or done more quicklythat would have saved his life.
He concluded that no reasonable precaution could have avoided the death, but said there was a defect in the working system because there was no way for McColm to alert anyone if he suffered a seizure or had an accident.
What did the inquiry conclude?
The fatal accident inquiry concluded that the exact cause of the tractor crash could not be identified. However, the most likely causes were a steering system failure or McColm losing control because of a seizure.
What was said about McColm's medical history?
McColm had a long history of epileptic seizures, with the condition traced back to 1972. The most recent seizure before the crash had been about a year earlier, and Sheriff Sutherland said he had been suffering seizures over a number of years.
What happened after the crash?
After Barry found McColm injured at the scene, an ambulance took him to Galloway Community Hospital. Doctors then tried to transfer him to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, but his condition worsened quickly and he died in hospital on 9 January 2024.
What did the sheriff say about precautions?
Sheriff Sutherland said no reasonable precaution could have prevented McColm's death. He also said there was a defect in the working system because McColm had no way to alert anyone if he suffered a seizure or had an accident.
Key Facts
- Brian McColm, 68, died after a tractor crash at Awhirk Farm near Stranraer in January 2024.
- The fatal accident inquiry said the crash cause could not be identified.
- Possible explanations were steering failure or McColm losing control during a seizure.
- McColm died in Galloway Community Hospital on 9 January 2024, four days after the accident.
- The sheriff said no reasonable precaution would have saved his life.
