Karl Wayne Stokes was working at Beattie-Lester Beef at Lileah, in Tasmania’s northwest, on August 1, 2024, ushering cows into the yard with a farm hand. One of the animals strayed down a laneway, and the 50-year-old went to collect it by driving slowly towards it on his all-terrain vehicle (ATV). The coroner has determined that Stokes’ failure to wear a helmet likely increased the extent of his injuries.
In her investigation into Mr. Stokes’ death, Coroner Madeleine Wilson stated, “Mr. Stokes was not going very fast but caught up to the cow.”
“He arrived between the cow and the fence on its right side. The cow accelerated as he did so. “Mr. Stokes attempted to pass the cow, but it turned and hit him in the head with her head.”
The New Zealand-born man was unresponsive and had a seizure while waiting for an ambulance to arrive, Ms Wilson found.
According to her, Mr. Stokes was taken to the Royal Hobart Hospital, where CT scans showed oedema, a possible case of stroke called left transverse sinus thrombosis, and serious traumatic brain injury.
In addition, he had bleeding from his left ear, which was consistent with a fractured skull, and a spinal compression fracture.
A professional neurosurgeon told Mr Stokes would not live, and he was administered comfort care.
He died two days after the incident of complications from blunt force injuries to the head.
Ms. Wilson discovered that the independent contractor and consultant had left his full-face helmet on a church pew outside his front door when he short went home from work on his ATV prior to the collision.
His daughter reported he was at the house for approximately 10 minutes, and appeared to be in a rush, claiming a horrible night’s sleep and a large list of duties to go through.
Ms. Wilson expressed her satisfaction that Mr. Stokes was a “patient and safety-conscious worker” and that he typically wore a helmet when using an ATV.
“I find that Mr. Stokes’ failure to collect his helmet after returning home for lunch was uncharacteristic and probably an oversight, due to him rushing to return to his work duties,” she stated. “It was usual for him to leave his helmet on an old church pew by the front door when returning home,” she said.
The coroner concludes that the farm has explicit safety procedures. Additionally, the coroner looked into Beattie-Lester Beef’s labour methods.
She discovered that Mr. Stokes’ helmet complied with the farm’s explicit health and safety regulations, which mandated that employees wear authorised helmets when operating ATVs.
However, she discovered that it gave employees no training on handling cattle and failed to direct them to Safe Work Australia’s manual on risk management.
“However, I find that Mr Stokes had been farming for 35 years and was very experienced in mustering cattle and riding ATVs,” Ms Wilson stated. “The owner of Beattie-Lester Beef had observed Mr Stokes using the ATV and mustering cattle on the farm and deemed him to be a very competent cattle handler.”
Although the guide is not required, it is generally accepted practice and cautions that cattle dislike being singled out and can become extremely agitated and unpredictable.
According to Ms. Wilson, the circumstances surrounding Mr. Stokes’ death were unrelated to the fact that he was using an ATV.
“I am satisfied that Mr Stokes’s tragic death was the result of head injuries he sustained when hit in the head by a dairy cow,” she stated. “At the time, Mr Stokes was not wearing a helmet and this likely increased the extent of the injuries he sustained.”
The late farmer leaves behind a wife and three children. “I convey my sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Mr Stokes,” Ms Wilson said.
She didn’t provide any suggestions.
The findings of Tasmanian Coroner Madeleine Wilson about the untimely death of 50-year-old dairy farm manager and consultant Karl Wayne Stokes in northwest Tasmania are reported by ABC News. According to the coronial investigation, Stokes was hit by a cow while riding an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) on a dairy property in Lileah, close to Smithton, and died from complications related to blunt force head injuries.
The event happened after Stokes came home for a quick lunch amid a busy workweek after a restless night, according to coronial findings. Stokes had left his full-face helmet on a pew outside his front door out of habit. Seeming to be in a rush, he left his apartment eating a slice of toast and mistakenly failed to get his helmet before cycling back to the dairy platform to assist farm assistant Toni Fagan with moving cattle.
One cow went off down a laneway while the other cows were being ushered into the dairy yards at walking speed. In order to collect the animal, Stokes drove his ATV about 100 meters ahead and stopped between the cow and a fence line on its right side. Stokes was trying to drive by when the cow abruptly turned and hit him in the head with her head. He fell face down to the ground without trying to break his fall.
Stokes was taken to Royal Hobart Hospital by air ambulance after emergency medical services were called right away. Two days after receiving medical attention, he passed away from his wounds. WorkSafe Tasmania investigators examined Stokes’ helmet and verified that it complied with Australian safety regulations, and farm workers stated that Stokes was typically very safety-conscious, rigorously enforced helmet compliance, and upheld explicit safety regulations.
Coroner Wilson concluded that Stokes’ omission to wear his helmet on the day of the accident was an unusual mistake brought on by exhaustion and a hurry to finish farm tasks. The coronial decision serves as a grim reminder to the dairy and agricultural sectors about the unpredictable nature of cattle and the critical need to uphold stringent personal protective equipment (PPE) regulations throughout regular daily farm tasks.