A farmer has issued a heartfelt plea to others after his nephew died after falling under the wheels of his tractor. Little Harry Lee, who was four, was riding on the footplate of uncle Brian Nutter's JCB Loader when it hit a bump in the field and he fell off and was then run over.
Despite extensive attempts to resuscitate him, Harry was pronounced dead after being taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital, LancashireLive reports. He had suffered a catastrophic brain injury in the incident at Sabden Old Hall Farm near Burnley in 2019.
His uncle was later charged with Health and Safety Act offences and was handed a 26-week suspended sentence. He has since spoken words of warning to others to avoid the tragedy that has devastated his family.
Mr Nutter has urged others who take children onto farm vehicles: “Please don’t do it". He added: “I hope if people know what happened they’ll be a bit more aware of what they’re doing, and they won’t have to go through what I’m going through.”
He said: “We were cleaning a shed out in the farmyard, using a telescopic handler and we had to get something out of the field.
“Harry was with me, and I put him on the machine, as I’d done in the past, and we drove out the yard, on to the lane and into the field. I turned around and he’d gone, and he was under the wheel. It was so, so quick.”
Mr Nutter was speaking in the week that the HSE’s annual Fatal injuries in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing in Great Britain report was published, revealing that 25 people had been killed in agriculture-related activities in the previous 12 months, he explained:
He had previously spoke about the boy’s death at his inquest in July 2021 when he said: “In the blink of an eye he weren’t there. It all happened so fast. I had to drive forward to get off him. I picked him up and ran down to the farm, into the house, he was in my arms.
“We rang an ambulance and I put him on the floor, I was trying to resuscitate him.” Mr Nutter admitted that it had been dangerous to allow Harry to ride on the footplate and the inquest heard that it is illegal to allow children under 13 to travel on or in agricultural vehicles.
“Obviously I didn’t think that [it was dangerous] at the time but I do now and it is still going on at other farms. There are risks on farms. We all do these things and I was the unlucky one; I have learned a big lesson from it. It has changed my life dramatically and all I can do is make sure that I never put myself or anyone else in that position again.”
The Prevention of Accidents to Children in Agriculture Regulations 1998, prohibits children under the age of 13 from riding on, or operating, vehicles used in agricultural operations. No-one, including children, should ride on the footplate of any agricultural machine.
Brian said: “We were brought up on a farm and we did things, and we were lucky that nothing happened. We were brought up doing it and you follow suit. My own children had been on the farm with me, and Harry was the next generation, the younger one.
“He spent a lot of time with me because that’s what he wanted to do, and I loved him being with me because I didn’t think that we were doing anything wrong. I wish that Harry had stopped in the house that day, but he didn’t.
“I miss him loads, every day I miss him. I wish he were here. I’d do anything to bring him back, but I can’t and that’s the hardest bit. I always think about him, I do a job now and he’s always there with me.”
The farmer said that the hazards of farming weren’t always recognised, but that they a dangerous place for children. He said: “Farms now are getting bigger, machinery is getting bigger, and we’re all running at a faster pace and now farming is changing that fast it has become more of a dangerous place for children, but it’s so hard when it’s their home, that’s the biggest trouble. There’s less of you doing the work and looking after children at the same time. The children want to be with you because they want to be learning.
“The safest place for the children is in the house. Always take a step back and think. I want people to look and think what you’re doing, there’s always another way. I know I’m not the first, I hope I’m the last but I know I won’t be.
"I want to get the message across. I am one of the people it’s happened to, and I don’t want it to happen again. People need to be aware of what can happen. Everyone needs to think. If the children aren’t there, it can’t happen. If Harry had stopped in the house, he’d be here now.
“It’s had a massive impact on all the family. Life has changed forever. It’ll never be the same again. I wish I’d done something different. It’ll never leave me. I wish I’d not had him on the vehicle with me. Please don’t do it.”
Mr Nutter, who farms north of Burnley, Lancashire was given a 26-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and was ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work and pay costs of £5,154 in March this year. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found there were insufficient measures in place to ensure the safety of children on the farm.
Brian’s parents have previously spoke of the trauma of losing their boy, who loved tractors and was hoped to one day take over his dad’s farm. Mum Sarah Nutter said: “Losing a child at any age is a traumatic experience, but losing a child in such deeply tragic circumstances is completely life changing. The event of Harry’s death has and will have a lasting effect that I, and my family will never get over.
“Farming is a lifestyle and a way of life. If we could go back and make different decisions and do things differently, we would certainly do so. We have had to learn the hard way.
“The dangers to children on farms are often not appreciated when you live with them, but they should be at the forefront of all our minds every single day. I hope the effects of Harry’s accident will change the attitude of people living on farms and make them think twice about the dangers their children are exposed to and how easily accidents can be avoided.”
Dad Martin Lee added: “Harry, so passionate about farming even at four-years-old, was very much my legacy, the person who would take on the farm. Always smiling, Harry had a love for life that brought joy to all those around him and certainly lived his life to the full.
“He was a loving, caring, kind and bright child, full of affection for his family. It is a tragedy that he was needlessly taken from us too soon. His death has traumatised and deeply impacted the whole family.”
