A GREAT-GRANDAD, who had worked as a farmer for 63 years, died after accidentally being crushed by his tractor, an inquest heard.

James Tatham, was found next to his vehicle at Sunnyside Farm in Fence on April 13.

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East Lancashire coroner, Richard Taylor, heard that the 78-year-old had managed to start the tractor from outside the cab.

The inquest was told that the former Barrowford Secondary School student had left the vehicle in gear and the handbrake off.

This caused the tractor, which Mr Tatham was using whilst moving fertiliser from inside a barn, to lunge forward and hit him before colliding with the back of the barn and stopped.

A family member found Mr Tatham’s body and he was declared dead at the scene by paramedics.

PC Philip Walker, from Lancashire Police’s accident investigation unit, said it was likely that the tractor could be started without using a key.

He said: “A wire within the engine compartment could be used to create a circuit and bypass the ignition key and start the engine.

“Due to the way tractors are built, they can move forward from this if left in gear, whereas a normal car would have stalled.

“This method is not an approved method for starting a vehicle but it is common practice.

“The tractor was 26-years-old and did not have any faults, it satisfied the agricultural vehicle regulations.”

The inquest heard that there was no reason for the tractor to be started without the key being turned in the ignition.

Mr Taylor said: “It seems to me from the evidence we have heard we will never know why Mr Tatham decided to do what he did.

“For whatever reason he thought he was right at the time he started the tractor whilst being in the barn and moving fertiliser and not realising the tractor was left in gear.

“I will therefore conclude that it was an accidental death and the tractor had drove over Mr Tatham which caused his fatal injuries.

“I give my sincerest condolences at this difficult time.”

Mr Tatham originally used the farm for dairy produce for several years but recently was only rearing cows.

Mr Tatham’s son, David, said his father was a loving family man who would be greatly missed.

He said: “He spent all his life working on a farm. He was very good at what he did and he knew a lot about tractors and how they worked.

“He was very careful and cautious with machinery and never had a serious accident involving tractors.

“I used to tell him to not use the tractors as much in his older age, but he would only feel useless without them.”

Mr Tatham leaves behind two children, three grandchildren and three great grandchildren.