"It was a fair day at Ballinasloe." Peter Gohery, 49, remembers 10 October vividly. Wearing overalls and rainproof leggings, he was feeding his suckler herd with a diet feeder. The clothes were getting old and leaking at the knees. He cut off a bit of fabric that was uncomfortable and thought nothing of it. When he heard a banging sound in the machine, he got out of the tractor and went to check the hydraulic pipes. The PTO was spinning next to him. In a flash, he was dragged to it. "It just dragged on further and further," he said.
His left leg was smashed beyond repair and two bones in his left arm broken. The wounds in his right leg were so bad and dirty that doctors feared they would have to amputate it too. It was only several months later that one of them knew the treatments had worked: "I no longer smell decaying flesh," he told Peter during a consultation.
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"I felt no pain on the night of my accident, just the cold of being of the concrete floor," Peter said. Phantom pains in his missing leg would only come later. "There's nothing you can take for it."
He was allowed to go home for Christmas, with orders not to visit the yard. A neighbour had strung farm plastic to block the view. "Mental health came into it," Peter said. "I was lucky I didn't have flashbacks."
Insurance
Several times as he addressed over 150 farmers and farm safety specialists, Peter said: "I consider myself lucky." He can farm again – tillage only, the sucklers are gone. Yet the business end of the accident wasn't easy to navigate either. He had insurance covering his bank loans, but the fine print turned out to say that cover would kick in only if he lost his two legs.
Peter, who also managed a construction company, was always cautions to avoid accidents for his staff. "I did safety for the lads," he said.
Be selfish and think of yourself
His advice to farmers now is to "be selfish and think of yourself". When it comes to PTO shafts, he regrets not getting a more expensive model. He pointed out that he may have saved €20 or €30 at the time, but he now needs a €40,000 prosthetic leg every five years.
A member of the audience regretted that there is no reliable standard in Ireland to make sure that you are buying the safest type.
Peter urged farmers to plan their day and slow down when working: "We're all rushing." He also encouraged them to keep up with regular checks and, if something is not right, to fix it now rather than leave it for later.
Finally, he said farmers should be happy to see health and safety inspectors: "These people are there to save your life – welcome them with open arms," he said.
Farmers' behaviour and low incomes linked to farm accidents
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