Inquest into death of Cornish farmer Rob Francis, Morwenstow

Rob Francis, 67, suffered multiple injuries in the accident at his family farm in Morwenstow, north Cornwall.

An inquest at Cornwall Coroner's Court heard Mr Francis had been using a tractor and muck grab to remove a netted round bale from a stack four bales high on November 11, 2025.

As he was removing the netting from one bale, another fell from around shoulder height and landed on him.

His daughter Carrie Francis, who had worked alongside her father for ten years, was working in the same barn around 15 metres away when she heard a thud.

She went to investigate, found her father pinned beneath the bale and managed to roll it off him before raising the alarm.

Mr Francis was taken to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth with serious injuries, including multiple fractures.

His wife, Rosie Francis, told the inquest that her husband had initially been "chatty" in hospital and the family had been told he had suffered "a lot of broken bones" but that they were "mendable".

However, his condition later deteriorated and he died three days after the accident.

Mrs Francis told the hearing the family struggled to understand how he had gone from suffering what they believed were treatable broken bones to dying.

She also raised concerns about communication from the hospital, saying the family felt they had "not been kept in the loop" as his condition worsened.

The inquest heard Mr Francis died as a result of multiple trauma and also had previously undiagnosed heart disease.

Health and Safety Executive inspector Simon Jones described Mr Francis as an experienced farmer working on a farm which had been in his family for generations.

The hearing was told stacks of large round hay bales could be unstable.

Mr Francis, a father of two, was described as well liked, well respected and cheerful. Despite being 67, he remained fit, continued to play football and was president of Morwenstow FC.

Assistant coroner Mike Bird recorded a conclusion of accidental death.