AN 81-year-old Parkinson’s sufferer died after a lawn mower ridden by his brother-in-law apparently pinned him to a wall and broke his back.

George Hobbs, of East St in Fritwell, near Bicester, was watching his brother-in-law drive a new ride-on lawn mower around a field on August 27, 2014, said Oxfordshire Coroner Darren Salter at the opening of an inquest into Mr Hobbs’ death.

Mr Hobbs, a retired plumber, suffered from Parkinson’s disease and was “unsteady on his feet”.

The mower, which was not cutting grass, was travelling slowly in the direction of Mr Hobbs when he either fell or stumbled near a wall, said the coroner.

Mr Hobbs was hit by the mower, which may have pinned him against the wall, said Mr Salter.

Mr Hobbs, who was married to Shirley Hobbs, was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital, where he was found to have suffered a cervical spine fracture.

He subsequently developed a chest infection and died on September 4, 2014.

The inquest, opened on Wednesday, has been adjourned until February 11.

  • Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed

Our top stories