Devastated by mower death

The 54-year-old worker, who lived in St Stephen's Road, Acomb, was fatally crushed when the sit-on mower he was operating overturned on a steep embankment at Water End, near Clifton Bridge.

His sister, Christine Beevers, 42, of Hayton, near Pocklington, said he loved his job, and lived for gardening.

"I'm absolutely devastated," she said.

"You expect this sort of thing to happen to other people, but not your own family. It was just one of those freak accidents.

"Nothing seemed to worry my brother at all, he was a really friendly person and would help anybody."

Mr Smith, a divorcee with one daughter, had worked for City of York Council for about six years, and was a familiar face in the city while working on the sit-on mower as he wore a distinctive "Benny" hat and smoked a pipe.

He had moved into a new council flat in Acomb only days before the tragedy.

"Frank always had that pipe in his mouth, whether it was lit or not," Mrs Beevers said.

"He loved being with people."

Mr Smith's brother, David, who runs a farm at Hayton, said they had no idea what caused the tragedy and were awaiting the outcome of the investigation.

"My brother was a happy-go-lucky sort of person and always had a smile on his face," he said.

"He liked working outside because he came from a farming background. The accident was a complete shock and very upsetting.

"He was really skilled at his job and had a certificate to work on that machine."

A post-mortem revealed that Mr Smith died as a result of a "crush injury to the chest" and an inquest has been opened and adjourned.

Investigations into how the accident happened have been launched by both City of York Council and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The mower involved in the accident was made by Hayter, and the company's directors say they too will investigate what happened.

Mr Smith's funeral will take place at York Crematorium tomorrow at 11am.

Updated: 09:59 Thursday, May 26, 2005