Comment Issued On Behalf Of The Family Of Tony Cripps Following Inquest Into JCB Death
Fatal work Accident
09/10/2008
A Gloucester coroner's jury has today returned a verdict of accident death with a narrative verdict following a fatal accident involving a Cotswolds farm worker who fell from a JCB and was crushed to death.
57 year old Anthony Cripps from Chipping Norton was employed as a market garden worker at Daylesford Organic Farm, Daylesford near Stow on the Wold when the accident happened on 5th June 2007.
Speaking on behalf of the Cripps family, Stuart Henderson, Partner from the Birmingham office of national law firm, Irwin Mitchell, said: "This was a particularly horrific workplace fatality, which tragically took the life of a much loved member of the local Chipping Norton community. It is clear to us that this accident could and should have been prevented if proper safety procedures had been followed by his employers.
"In our view this accident would have been prevented if safe working practices had been followed and a suitable platform or similar equipment provided to pick the elderflowers.
"It was patently unsafe to allow workers to be carried in the open bucket of a moving JCB being driven by an untrained driver. Our view is that health and safety training and risk management did not have the attention it deserved at Daylesford at the time and hopefully as a consequence of this tragic accident this will now have changed.
"We are pursuing a claim for damages on behalf of Mr Cripps' family and the evidence given at the inquest strengthens the claim further which will be the subject of future court proceedings."
Mr Henderson added: "Listening to the evidence at the inquest today has been a traumatic experience for Mr Cripps' family but they are relieved that they now have a better understanding of what happened on the day of the accident and feel that they finally have an element of closure. The family would like to thank HM Coroner for the care and compassion that he showed in dealing with the tragic circumstances that led to Mr Cripp's death."
For more than 33 years, Mr Cripps had worked as a cutter at the Parker Knoll factory in Chipping Norton, before becoming the publican of The Plough, in Kingham, Oxfordshire, which he ran for three years. After retiring from the licensing trade in January 2007, Mr Cripps joined the market garden staff of Daylesford Organic Farm, owned by Lady Carole Bamford the wife of JCB Chairman, Sir Anthony Bamford.
Mr Cripps was well known locally as a founding member of Chipping Norton Rugby Club. A club stalwart, he had been a former Chairman and was serving Treasurer of the club at the time of the accident. In August this year, friends and players paid tribute to him by opening a new pitch, dedicated in his name.
Mr Cripps is survived by his widow Kaye, and three adult children – son, Thomas and step-daughters Tasha and Saffryn.