A Perthshire farmer was killed when his runaway tractor crushed him to death between the vehicle and a tree, a fatal accident inquiry has heard.
Perth Sheriff Court heard that if the tractor’s path had been only inches to the left or right then Benedikt Gudmundsson would still be alive.
Mr Gudmundsson died as he carried out his daily routine feeding the cows at his Dunkeld farm in September last year.
His tractor slipped down a muddy bank at Dalmarnock Farm while he clung to the side, after he left it in neutral with the engine idling and the handbrake disengaged.
As the tractor picked up speed it raced narrowly past a tree and the 80-year-old had no chance of avoiding being crushed between the tractor and the tree.
Mr Gudmundsson was discovered on the farm by his son Benedikt Jr after his wife raised the alarm.
Health and safety inspector Garry Miller said: “It was a matter of pure chance that the tractor passed so close to the tree. If it was a few inches either way it is likely he would have survived.
“The tractor would either have hit the tree, causing Mr Gudmundsson to fall to the ground, or it would have helped him pass the tree without hitting it.”
He suggested the most likely reason for the accident was either that Mr Gudmundsson had left the handbrake off and the engine running, causing the tractor to take off on its own; or, because he was known to have difficulty getting into the vehicle due to his reduced mobility, he may have used the steering wheel to assist him and disturbed the tractor.
Sheriff William Wood heard that Mr Gudmundsson had been involved in farming all his life and was an experienced tractor driver.
The sheriff said he would issue the formal findings at a later date.