A teenage farm worker was fatally crushed while using a bale wrapping machine that had malfunctioned, an inquest has heard.

Luke Searle, 17, had been operating a tractor and baling machine to wrap up cut grass bales for animal feed while his older brother worked in a neighbouring field.

An inquest jury heard the bale wrapper was not working correctly, prompting Luke to try and see what was wrong before he became caught in the machine.

The jury recorded that: ‘On the evening of June 22, 2022 Luke was seriously injured while wrapping hay bales on Sherwell farm, Plympton, Devon.

‘Contributing factors are that the wrapping machine likely malfunctioned leading Luke to undertake investigation.

‘Safe Stop procedure was not in place. During investigation the dispenser arms restarted, trapping Luke and causing chest and abdominal injuries.

‘Medical treatment was administered on site, but these injuries proved fatal.’

The inquest at Exeter Coroner’s Court heard that farm owner James Williams went to check on Luke and found the machinery was not moving in the field. He discovered Luke had become trapped and was unconscious in the baler.

Luke Searle, 17, had been operating a tractor and baling machine when he became trapped and was fatally injured, an inquest has heard

The inquest at Exeter Coroner’s Court ruled the teenager’s death in 2022 as accidental

Mr Williams, who operates a farm partnership of more than five farms and 2,000 acres, called for help/ Luke’s older brother William raced to his sibling from the field.

They freed Luke from the machine and began giving the teenager CPR, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The inquest heard that Luke’s family and the farm owners, the Williams, had been close friends for many years.

Luke was a student at Cornwall-based Duchy College on a two-year agricultural machinery engineering course, with 80 per cent of the course based at a farm.

Health and Safety Executive inspector Simon Jones told the hearing said there had been a problem with the bale wrapper arms not rotating and Luke had gone to investigate the fault.

But as he did so, the arms started again in an ‘unexpected and unplanned movement’ trapping him and crushing him.

The teenager had not put the machinery into a ‘Safe Stop’ mode before investigating the fault.

The jury heard before any repair the power should have been isolated, the engine switched off and controls put in neutral.

Devon Area Coroner Nicholas Lane told the inquest jury that the Searle brothers were very close and had a rural upbringing and planned careers in farming.

The inquest heard Luke was ‘a very sociable well-liked young man who loved what he was doing’.

A verdict of accidental death was recorded.