An 18-year-old farmer in the UK died as a result of an electric shock when his trailer touched overhead lines, an inquest reportedly heard.
According to Lincolnshire Live, the young farmer was on the family farm at the beginning of November last year when the trailer he was cleaning came into contact with an overhead line as it was tipped up.
Jackson Maplethorpe reportedly suffered burns to his hands and feet when 6,000 volts of electricity passed through his body.
The inquest heard how a farm worker, Samuel Shaw, was the first person to arrive on the scene.
After he looked back, he saw the young farmer’s body lying beside the tractor, Lincolnshire Live added.
Recognising what had happened, Shaw called for help; noticing the trailer touching the overhead wires, he refrained from touching the tractor.
It is believed that Maplethorpe was about to clean the trailer when the accident occurred, as there was a shovel allegedly left out to remove the final few bits of dirt. The cause of death was confirmed as electrocution by toxicology reports.
Once the trailer made direct contact with the overhead lines, there would have been a “complete circuit” flowing through the tractor and trailer, the inquest heard.
As the young farmer was exiting the tractor, he would have completed the circuit when his feet touched the ground and his hands were still in contact with the body of the tractor.
The inquest is set to continue today, June 18, in Lincoln.