Parents of boy, 9, killed on family farm sob as they reveal horror moment he was crushed under truck in freak accident
THE parents of a young boy killed on the family farm wept today as they revealed the horror moment he was crushed under a truck.
Tomos Bunford on his way to feed the cows with dad Rhys, mum Louise and his two siblings when the horror unfolded.
The family were travelling in a pick-up truck that was towing a water towser when it started to slide downhill towards a cliff.
Tomos, his older brother and baby sister managed to escape but the water bowser then hurtled towards the rugby player and smashed into him.
An inquest in Pontypridd heard Tomos died of blunt force injury to the chest and abdomen following the tragedy in September 2021.
Mum Louise wept as she described her son's final moments to the court.
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She said: "We could hear the panic in the children's voices. They were asking us what they should do."
Louise managed to push Tomos clear of the doors and said: "I went under the wheels with a baby on my chest."
She then saw the water tank come towards her but believed she would be crushed, not her son.
The brave mum managed to throw her baby to her eldest son before Tomos was struck by the bowser.
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Louise said the youngster was lay "in a little ball" on the ground as dad Rhys frantically rushed over to perform CPR.
She then ran for help in the nearest village while paramedics raced to the scene.
Tragically Tomos couldn't be saved and was declared dead around two hours later.
The inquest heard the towing vehicle was being driven in four wheel drive in a low gear, and no seatbelts were in operation at the time.
An inspection found there were no mechanical faults, just mismatched tyres in terms of tread, size and pressure.
Experts also found the trailer carrying the bowser had no operational brake.
Assistant Coroner Gavin Knox ruled Tomos' death as accidental and took place during a "normal routine task" the youngster carried out with his family.
Tomos' heartbroken family are now trying to raise awareness of safety on family farms.
Rhys said: "We were doing a task we had done as part of our routine for years.
"It was nothing out of the ordinary. The field conditions weren't different, the level of water in the bowser was the same, and the vehicles did not fail post-accident safety checks.
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"But please, we want the farming community to learn from us losing Tomos, and stop and think. You can't be over cautious. Ask yourself what the risks are from doing any job."
