A young dad is lucky to be alive after he was crushed by five hay bales each weighing 600kg. Christopher Rolfe, from Horsham, says he was "lucky to come away with just a broken hip and leg fractures" following the horrific incident in April 2022. Christopher, then 26, had gone into a barn at Polesden Lacey Farm in Surrey to collect bales that were being delivered to customers.
The bales had been stored on a layer of pallets to keep them off the barn floor, which was damp at the time, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said. As he was removing the pallets to reach the stack of bales, an entire column of five toppled over and crushed him against the floor. Christopher lay trapped screaming for help until a nearby dog walker heard his cries and alerted the emergency services.
He was airlifted to hospital (Image: SWNS) He was airlifted to hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. He suffered fractures to his pelvis and ankle as well as four of his ribs. Christopher had to undergo months of rehabilitation to regain his mobility.
An HSE inquiry was opened in the aftermath and, last week, farming partnership F Conisbee and Sons Ltd was fined £36,000 and ordered to pay £4,986 in costs at Staines Magistrates’ Court. The company, of Ockham Road South, East Horsley, Surrey, had pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 10 (4) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. Christopher said following the verdict: “I was lucky to come away with just a broken hip and leg fractures.
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