Many farmers who share their life-changing accident with us, recall a chain of events that led up to it. For one young farmer, it started with a temperamental tractor…
Joining the family beef, sheep and arable farm business was never in question for Warwickshire young farmer Josh Morland (24). However in 2020, at the age of just 20, Josh suffered an accident that would lead to multiple surgeries, the loss of two toes, and many hours away from the farm.
“We’d been having some engine issues with one of the tractors,” Josh explains. “We’d been trying to fix it for some time and had a mechanic out to the farm to take a look at it. I remember being delighted that it actually showed the fault while the mechanic was sat in it!”
Josh was standing on the back of the drawbar listening to the mechanic through the back window – something many do regularly, often without giving it much thought.
“The mechanic asked us to put it under some hydraulic strain,” he recalls. “The person in the driver’s seat pushed the spool valve lever for the draw bar. As a result, my foot was pulled into the back of the tractor and crushed.
“I knew it was bad straight away,” says Josh. “It’s taken several rounds of surgery and I’ve lost my big toe and second toe on my right foot. It’s almost four years later now but I’m finally starting to get there.”
Looking back, Josh now realises the wider impact of his injury including the days away from the farm and lost work. “Even on the day of the accident, I was supposed to be loading a grain lorry. I was sat in the ambulance on the way to the hospital having to explain to the driver that I wouldn’t be able to do it anymore.”
Prioritising your wellbeing is something that many farmers do not really comprehend as Josh explains: “For me, one of the biggest challenges faced by the industry when it comes to physical wellbeing is the amount of pressure farmers face every day. It’s so easy to cut corners and that’s when a lot of accidents can happen. We need to take more time to consider how we can minimise risks, if not remove them completely.
“You might get away with it once or twice, but the reality is there will be a time when you don’t, and the impact it can have on you and those around you can be life-changing.”
Josh’s message for Farm Safety Week is that luck can change. Especially if you cut corners.
“Accidents can happen so quickly and easily – often when we least expect it. None of us are indestructible.”
