Herefordshire contractor was killed while tree felling on estate

Steven Preece, who lived in Hereford, died when an oak tree limb landed on him while working in a wooded area of the Ramsbury Estate, near Littlecote Road, Froxfield.

At an inquest on November 21, a jury returned a conclusion of misadventure, meaning the 63-year-old died as a result of a deliberate human action that had unintended consequences leading to death.

The incident occurred on the morning of January 7, 2021, while Steven was felling diseased ash trees at Lawn Coppice in Littlecote Woodland.

The land was owned by Ramsbury Estate Ltd and overseen by Wessex Woodland Management, who contracted B Powell Forestry Ltd to carry out the works.

Steven was one of multiple subcontractors working on the site.

On the morning of the incident, he was working near Stanley Weaver, a friend and colleague of many years.

The pair had a system in place that saw them take turns felling trees for safety reasons.

The court heard that Steven had just brought down his second tree and was in the process of snedding it when the branch landed on him.

Mr Weaver discovered Steven trapped and unresponsive under the tree limb, after hearing his chainsaw running but not being able to see him, and called for help.

He estimated it had fallen around 30 feet and weighed three-quarters of a ton.

Emergency services rushed to the scene and the branch was removed so CPR could be carried out, but despite these efforts, Steven was pronounced dead shortly before 10.30am.

A post-mortem examination found he had died of head and chest injuries caused by blunt force trauma.

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The jury heard that Steven had no intoxicants in his system when he died and that he was an “experienced” and qualified chainsaw operator who had carried out the required refresher course.

Neil Gresswell, an expert witness who examined the scene, told the jury the break could have been due to a fault with the tree or could have been caused during the felling process.

He believed the evidence was inconclusive but added it was likely Steven was unaware of the damage.

Mr Gresswell added: “It is highly possible that he didn’t see anything to cause him concern.

“I don’t think a chainsaw operator of his experience would work under something unsecured that weighs three-quarters of a ton, particularly when they had machinery on site to move it.”