Lorry 'crushed man' at wind farm

Cefn Croes in one of the UK's most powerful onshore wind farms

A German man was crushed to death by an articulated lorry as he helped guide its driver down a track at a wind farm, an inquest has heard.

Waldemar Neumann died when his foot became trapped in a cattle grid while working near Aberystwyth on 18 March.

The driver of the lorry Matthius Marshand was unaware 41-year-old Mr Neumann was trapped until he had reversed over his work colleague.

Ceredigion coroner Peter Brunton recorded a verdict of misadventure.

Father-of-two Mr Neumann worked for mobile crane company KVN Autokrane of Osnerbruck in Germany.

Mr Neumann, Mr Marshand and fellow KVN employee Norbert Van Schaik had been working at Cefn Croes wind farm in Ponterwyd, the inquest in Aberystwyth heard.

Multiple injuries

Sarah Baldwin-Jones of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said Mr Neumann was helping Mr Marshand, who was driving the lorry, negotiate a difficult hairpin bend and a narrow cattle grid at the site.

She said Mr Neumann had been steering the lorry's four-wheel rear axle trailer with a controller, which was on a 24ft (7.3m) cord at the rear of the vehicle.

The lorry was reversing at walking pace, but Mr Neumann was crushed when his foot slipped between the steel slats on the cattle grid.

The inquest heard that neither Dyfed-Powys Police or the HSE would be prosecuting KVN Autokrane.

All three employees on the site were properly trained, were wearing the necessary safety equipment and their working practices met the proper standards, the inquest was told.

"The tragedy will never be entirely clear," said coroner Mr Brunton.

He said Mr Neumann lost his "situational awareness" when approaching the cattle grid.

He suffered severe multiple injuries.