BBC Countryfile viewers stunned by 'distressing' segment as heartbreaking accidents explored
Tom Heap met one victim of a life-changing farming accident in the latest BBC Countryfile episode
BBC
Countryfile was back on Sunday, with the BBC series delving into more elements of farming life.
While Joe Crowley visited a recent pioneering woodland project in Somerset, Tom Heap looked into the tragic accidents that can take place in farming and agricultural work.
The eye-opening topic saw some heartbreaking stories shared, with one accident detailing how children have also lost their lives when tragedy strikes on the farm.
One part of the episode saw Heap chatting to a hospitalised victim, Tim Parton, who appeared on the show just weeks before a life-changing accident.
As a clip of him before his accident was shown, Heap explained: "Just weeks after this was filmed, he was left paralysed after a routine tree felling went terribly wrong.
Heap met Parton at the grounds of the hospital where he is being treated.
Tim Parton explained how he had been left with multiple injuries on the latest Countryfile episode
BBC
"We had a tree on the yard that was damaging one of our sheds, so decided to take it down, a normal job for a farmer," Parton explained as he recalled the details of the accident.
He continued: "I took every precaution I could, I'd got a work colleague working with me and it had all gone very well.
"We got down to the very last bit, and it didn't play ball - and it went the wrong way and unfortunately landed on me."
"And what has been the impact on you?" Heap asked, to which the farmer replied: "Well, I've lost my left leg below the knee, I'm paralysed from the waist down, my right foot had to be rebuilt, I broke my sternum, smashed a load of ribs, punctured lung, broke my back."
Countryfile's Tom Heap explored the tragic pattern of farming accidents
BBC
He went on to joke: "So yeah, I did a good job of it!" Viewers were shocked by the hard-hitting subject and shared their thoughts on social media.
Taking to X, one viewer admitted: "This bit is distressing innit, #CountryFile."
"Did he just ask the poor [man] involved in an agricultural accident "What was the impact on you?" It was a tree! #countryfile," a second fumed.
Responding, another agreed: "Exactly what I said." Meanwhile, someone else commented: "Everything happened to [him] #countryfile."
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Tom Heap met one victim of a life-changing farming accident
BBC
"Tragic story, #CountryFile," another shared, while one remarked: "Not sure @H_S_E inspections on farms can ever do more than scratch the surface.
"They have great resources on line, but it’s essential businesses (including farming) assess their risks and get trained accordingly. #countryfile." (sic)
It came as the segment looked into the way in which inspections on farms have decreased over the years, raising safety fears for farmers, their families and even members of the public.