A West Lothian man lost his life after suffering a cardiac arrest while driving his quad, an inquiry has found. Andrew Rennie, 75, died on November 27, 2024. He was driving his quadbike at West Torphin Farm in West Calder, bringing sheep in from a field when the incident happened.
Fatal Accident Inquiry
A fatal accident inquiry was necessary as Rennie died while employed. It was found that there were ‘no precautions which could reasonably have been taken’ which would have avoided Andrew’s death. West Torphin Farm was Andrew’s family farm, where he lived and worked.
The inquiry described him as an ‘extremely skilled farmer’. On the morning of his death, Andrew began working on the farm at around 6.30am, tending to livestock with his son. His son found him at around midday after he failed to locate him, and found him lying on his back beside the quad. Paramedics attended, though he was pronounced dead at 12.50pm.
Post-Mortem Findings
A post-mortem found the cause of death was blunt force chest and abdominal injuries. A spokesperson for the inquiry said: “Mr Rennie, 75, farmer and owner of West Torphin Farm, West Calder, died on 27 November 2024, after suffering a cardiac event which caused him to have an accident involving a quadbike when bringing in sheep from a field.”
The inquiry was a mandatory inquiry since the death of Mr Rennie occurred while in the course of his employment. The purpose of an inquiry is to establish the circumstances of the death and to consider what steps, if any, may be taken to prevent other deaths in similar circumstances.
The Procurator Fiscal ensured that the full facts and circumstances of Mr Rennie’s death were provided at the mandatory Fatal Accident Inquiry. The Determination has been provided to Mr Rennie’s family, and our thoughts are with them at this time.
