Dad-of-one Joshua Hardman, 23, was helping a fellow farmer fix a large tractor tyre – but it exploded in his face as he began inflating it, leaving him with fatal head injuries
A young farmer tragically died after a tractor tyre he was helping a colleague inflate suddenly exploded in his face.
Joshua Hardman, 23, suffered fatal head injuries after the blast caused a wheel rim to strike him in the face. The dad-of-one was trying to help fix the large tyre, which was being inflated at the time of the explosion at the Lancashire farm, run by partnership William Hesketh and Sons. The firm has since been fined £80,000 and forced to pay £8,605 in costs after admitting breaching health and safety regulations.
An investigation led by the Health and Safety Executive concluded that the company failed to properly assess and organise the work being carried out. The tyre, wheel rim, and inner tube were also found to be in poor condition, increasing the risk of explosion – and no suitable assessment was completed to ensure the tyre could be inflated safely, the probe found.
Joshua was helping one of the partners, Bill Hesketh, re-seat and inflate the tyre, Preston Magistrates’ Court heard. Hesketh was in the middle of inflating the tyre’s inner tube when it suddenly exploded in the horror accident on May 7, 2021. Despite being rushed to hospital for urgent skull and brain surgery, Joshua tragically succumbed to his injuries and died just over a month later on June 11, 2021.
His devastated family described the 23-year-old as a “an amazing dad” with a “heart of gold”. They said in a statement: “Joshua was a very loving, caring, kind and gentle person. He had a heart of gold. He was also an amazing dad, and it is heart-breaking that he will never reach his full potential in that role. His five-year-old daughter will miss out on a great deal of love and affection and the role he would have played in her life.”
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Anthony Banks said the “tragic incident” could have been avoided. He added: “HSE would like to make all employers aware that, before they undertake the inflation of large commercial tyres, they need to have correctly assessed the risk and have in place the suitable controls for the task.”
