A hard-working farm manager at Westons Cider died after he crashed into a barrier blocking the road at the Herefordshire factory on his 65th birthday, an inquest has found.
Hereford Coroners Court heard how Thomas David Manns, known as Tommy, died after the yellow crash barrier came through the windscreen of his van and caused fractured ribs and internal bleeding.
The farm manager, who paraded Ronaldo the bull around the Wembley Stadium pitch when Hereford FC reached the FA Vase final in 2016, was described as "delightful and hard-working" by his GP Dr Alison Wood, who told the inquest he was generally "pretty fit and well".
The jury also heard evidence from James Webb, a forklift driver at the Much Marcle factory, who had been working near the barrier at the time.
The inquest heard how Mr Manns had died on his 65th birthday. Picture: Rob Davies
He had half-closed the 14ft, waist-height barrier so he could get to the recycling area it was blocking when open.
But he then saw a van drive past and heard a crash. He saw the barrier had hit Mr Manns, 65, in the chest and he wasn't moving.
He said there was no way to lock the barrier in place when open, and there had been no training in how to use it.
Dr Sara Lumley, an inspector for the Health and Safety Executive, said the barrier, which had only been in place a month when the crash happened, could be opened both ways.
After being installed to improve security after a burglary, it was initially opened facing towards the main road.
But, for reasons which were not clear, it then started to be opened facing into the site and in the direction of oncoming traffic using the one-way system.
Thomas David Manns, known as Tommy, died after a barrier went through his van's window and hit him
This also blocked access to the recycling area, and workers hadn't been given any instructions on how to use it.
PC Howard Latham, a crash investigator at West Mercia Police, also gave evidence. He said that it was dry day and the road surface was good.
He had seen the crash, which happened shortly after 10am on September 28, 2020, on CCTV footage and thought it unlikely the sun could have hampered Mr Manns' vision.
But in his expert opinion, two moving forklift trucks could have been distracting him or blocking his view of the barrier.
He said there was no evidence that Mr Manns, who would have been driving at less than 15mph, had seen the barrier as there were no brake marks.
Westons Cider in Much Marcle, near Ledbury. Picture: Rob Davies
Michael Saunders, a vehicle examiner for West Mercia Police, said he found no evidence of mechanical or structural issues with the company's van.
A post-mortem examination showed that the medical cause of death had been hemothorax, when blood collects between the chest wall and the lungs, as well as multiple fractured ribs from the road traffic accident.
Returning an accidental death conclusion, the jury found that Mr Manns, of Preston Cross, had died in a collision with the barrier at Westons in Much Marcle.
At the end of the inquest, Assistant Coroner Roland Wooderson gave his condolences to Mr Manns’ wife Rosemary, who was present in court, and her family.
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