Sponsored by
Fatal fall rider had old helmet
Brian Dooks A RIDER who suffered fatal brain injuries when she fell from her horse was using a helmet made in 1987 which did not meet current safety standards, an inquest heard yesterday.
Coroner Geoff Fell, who recorded a verdict of accidental death on Rachel Cross, is to write to the British Horse Society and other equestrian organisations asking them to inform their members of the risks of using old helmets.
Nobody saw Mrs Cross fall from her horse, Honey, in Mire Green Lane, Killinghall, near Harrogate, on December 21, 2003, but she died the following day after being taken from Harrogate District Hospital to Leeds General Infirmary.
One of six riders in the group with Mrs Cross, Tracey Atter, said the lane was mud with a few stones. She regarded Mrs Cross, who had ridden as a child and returned to riding a few years ago, as a competent horsewoman.
Nobody in the group heard Mrs Cross cry out and they were not aware she had fallen until they reached a gate and looked back. A post mortem examination on Mrs Cross, 42, of Over Nidd, Harrogate, found no sign of a fractured skull but she died from bleeding around the brain.
Her jockey-style helmet with the British Standard number 4472 was sent for examination by Brian Chinn, of the Transport Research Laboratory, who found it was made in May, 1987 by Chapman's of Great Britain.
In a report to the Coroner, Dr Chinn said the standard was changed in 1996 and it became illegal to sell Mrs Cross's type of helmet in 1997. "The new helmets are geared up to take a greater blow," he said.
Dr Chinn said he was surprised that Mrs Cross was still using a helmet that was 16 years old instead of one meeting the modern standard. "There is no doubt that her chance of survival would have been greater."
The coroner told the Harrogate inquest that it appeared significant that Mrs Cross's skull was not fractured and there were no bruises. "Riding helmets have improved quite considerably since 1987," he said.
Mr Fell said: "I will be writing to the British Horse Society and other equestrian organisations drawing their attention to this case."
He urged riders to look at a report prepared by The Mark Davies Injured Riders Fund on its website at www.mdirf.co.uk
Email to a friend
Print this page- Three-inch blanket of snow heading our way today
- Alan Shearer in list of favourites for Leeds and England jobs: Latest odds
- Barnsley’s Keith Hill invokes Fawlty Towers over link with Leeds job
- McCormack feels United search can be narrowed down
- Redfearn throws down gauntlet as queue builds at Elland Road
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
