A LEADING West Somerset councillor died when he lost control of an all-terrain vehicle as it plunged head-first over the edge of a dried-up pond on his estate on the edge of the Quantock Hills.
Anthony Trollope-Bellew was thrown from the vehicle and suffered ‘unsurvivable’ head and neck injuries, an inquest heard.
Mr Trollope-Bellew, aged 69, was hosting a shooting day at Hurley Farm, Crowcombe, when the accident happened in the afternoon of October 28 last year.
The incident happened in front of his wife Annabel and friends taking part in the shoot.
Somerset assistant coroner Nicholas Lane heard the all-terrain vehicle had become stuck on a tree stump and Mr Trollope-Bellew tried to free it by accelerating hard.
As he did so, the vehicle shot backwards and travelled at speed downhill and over the edge of the pond, with Mr Trollope-Bellew being thrown out head-first onto the uneven ground.
A post mortem revealed Mr Trollope-Bellew suffered a broken neck and severe trauma to the right side of his head.
An air ambulance doctor treated him and tried to resuscitate him but he did not respond and the medic declared him dead at the scene.
Mrs Trollope-Bellew said in a statement given to police that she rushed to her husband after the accident and at first he was conscious and talking and trying to stand up but ‘was very confused’.
Mr Lane, who recorded a conclusion of accidental death, said in his experience the injuries suffered by Mr Trollope-Bellew were ‘always fatal’.
He said it seemed Mr Trollope-Bellew had pressed the vehicle’s accelerator either too hard or at an inappropriate moment and had not appreciated how close he was to the top of the area near the pond.
It was a tragic outcome to an entirely innocent act which had caused distress to all who witnessed the incident.
Mr Lane said Mr Trollope-Bellew had owned and maintained the all-terrain vehicle for six to eight years and used it several times a week and there was no suggestion of any mechanical defect.
He paid tribute to Mr Trollope-Bellew’s service as a leader of the former West Somerset Council, a former Somerset County Councillor, a serving member of Somerset West and Taunton Council, and a member of other public organisations.
Mr Lane said: “It is clear Mr Trollope-Bellew gave many dedicated years of his life to public service. The tributes I have seen pay testament to that level of service.
“He was enjoying rural life in retirement in the Quantocks and that was cut tragically short by the accident.
“I offer my condolences to Mr Trollope-Bellew’s family and friends.”