Six of the fatalities were men. Most were aged over 40 and most were the result of a traumatic incident.
These statistics have been fairly stable in recent years, and are significantly less this year.
One of those statistics from 2024 was dairy farmer Bruce Manintveld, aged 50.
In late July, Victorian Coroner Simon McGregor released his findings into the death of Bruce, who died during a storm on February 13, 2024.
The storm event was described by the Bureau of Meteorology as a tornado and recorded winds at 128km/h at the time of Bruce’s death.
Bruce was killed while riding his quad bike and droving his cows from the paddock to the dairy, on his farm at Darlimurla, near Mirboo North, in Gippsland, Victoria.
The coronial investigation determined that wind gusts recorded at weather sites near the dairy farm signaled the potential for structural damage and dislodged roofing risks.
An investigation by Worksafe Victoria identified that extreme wind dislodged a retractable roof from the top of its shed and blew it about 200 metres, into an adjacent paddock and directly into Bruce’s path as he brought the milking herd along the laneway towards the dairy. The shed roof fatally struck Bruce and several of his cows.
Coroner McGregor, in his report, stated that “Bruce’s death was the unintended consequence of the deliberate decision to attempt to continue the proper management of his farm during an extreme weather event”.
Bruce passed away as a direct result of an upper cervical spine injury. Forensic pathologist, Dr Hans de Boer, in his report, identified “substantial blunt force injuries to the head, neck and right side of the body”.
The coroner’s report named the storm a natural disaster and Bruce’s death a motor vehicle accident.
WorkSafe Victoria identified that Bruce was riding a quad bike but not wearing a helmet at the time of his death.
The coroner stated there were no adverse findings to be made from the accident and the deceased man’s conduct.
In the immediate aftermath of the accident, his fellow dairy farmers leapt to assist Bruce’s widow, Fiona Baker.
Farmers helped with milking, pregnancy testing and sorting cull cows, and supported her in the following months as she made decisions about selling the herd and leasing the farm.
See previous stories:
https://www.dairynewsaustralia.com.au/news/gippsland-dairy-farmer-dies-in-severe-storm/
https://www.dairynewsaustralia.com.au/news/taking-charge-after-tragedy/
https://www.dairynewsaustralia.com.au/news/born-to-be-a-dairy-farmer/
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