Two farmers have been acquitted of health and safety offences following the death of former ELO cellist Mike Edwards, who was crushed by a giant hay bale in Devon in 2010. Plymouth Crown Court found that Brian Burden and Russell Williams were not responsible for the accident, which killed the 62-year-old musician instantly.
Edwards was driving his van near Totnes on 3 September 2010 when a 600kg hay bale rolled down a slope, burst through a wire fence and hedge, and struck his vehicle. An inquest jury had previously ruled the death accidental, but the Health and Safety Executive brought charges against the men.
Prosecutor Rupert Lowe described the incident as a preventable farming accident. However, the court determined that Burden and Williams had adequately assessed the risk. Williams, then 21, had left the bale against a wire fence and believed it was stationary when he moved away.
In March 2011, Edwards' family called for a campaign highlighting the dangers of baling on sloping ground. His brother David said: 'My brother's death has touched so many people's lives... He will be sadly missed by us all.'
Edwards was an early member of the Electric Light Orchestra, playing at their first gig and on their debut album. He left the band in 1974, just before their most successful albums.
