A dairy farm worker was killed this morning in what appears to be a tragic quad bike accident.
Police were contacted around 7.35 this morning (Thursday, 26 November) when 40-year-old Rhys Mark Wilson, from Alton who is a sharemilker at a farm in Manutahi, near Hawera, was found in a gully on the farm by a co-worker. The worker had gone looking for Mr Wilson because the cows had not been brought in for milking.
CPR was administered and this continued when emergency services arrived on scene but they were unable to revive him.
OSH and police have carried out an investigation and it is believed that the accident happened around 5am when Mr Wilson was rounding up the cows for milking. He had gone down into a gully, probably to retrieve some stray cows and it appears that as he attempted to traverse a steep slope the quad bike he was riding flipped over on to him.
OSH has recovered the bike as part of its investigation and the Police are investigating on behalf of the Coroner.
Media enquiries should be referred to Communications Manager Kim Perks on 06 351 2546 or 027 234 8256.