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Shepherd’s quad bike decision led to death

Sandy Robbins



taken from facebook
Sandy Robbins taken from facebook

A shepherd plunged to his death after making the unusual decision to use a quad bike to round up his flock.

A fatal accident inquiry was told yesterday that Sandy Robbins, 61, was supposed to have a colleague help him gather the livestock in Kyle of Durness in Sutherland on March 31 last year.

But his workmate couldn’t make it, and Sandy decided to use a quad bike which had been decommissioned for farm use around two years earlier, to carry out the task.

Normally, he would walk with the dogs to round the lambs up.

However, the married man of 30 years lost control of the vehicle despite it travelling at only walking pace, the inquiry heard.

He crashed through a fence, knocking down a small tree and plunged 60 feet on to jagged rocks on the beach below Dale House.

He survived the fall, but Sheriff Chris Dickson was told that despite efforts from friends and medical staff, he died a couple of hours later in Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.

Witnesses gave statements to aid the inquiry, and fiscal Gary Aitken read out agreed evidence which took almost two hours.

Rhigolter Farm owner David Elliott said that Sandy had worked the farm for over 25 years and knew the quad bike, known as the Honda Big Red, was no longer in use for farmwork.

He said it was only to be used by the family other than with permission.

He added: “He borrowed it on the day of his death without asking me.”

Sandy’s two collie dogs alerted friends to the tragedy.

James Mather, operator of Visit Cape Wrath, said he saw the animals at the top of the cliff but there was no sign of Sandy.

He went closer and saw the bike in the sea and then saw Sandy lying on rocks.

“I went to tend his head wound and kept him awake as best I could. There was a lot of blood on the rocks.”

A coastguard helicopter was called as well as a local GP and an ambulance and medical staff fought hard to keep diabetic Mr Robbins alive.

A post-mortem examination revealed that no sudden medical event or his condition were a factor in the accident and he died from multiple injuries.

Mr Mather later examined the bike with police and Health and Safety staff and found one of the brakes inoperative.

But experts indicated the rest of the bike was in working order and the three remaining brakes would have been sufficient to stop it.

Other witnesses also said Sandy was a careful, competent and slow driver.