Staff saw the lawnmower upturned in the water and rushed to discover the 60-year-old underneath

A man was found dead in a lake while still sat on an upturned ride-on lawnmower, an inquest has heard. Allister Bruce Wilson, 60, was discovered in one of the lakes at Meadow Lakes holiday park, Hewas Water, near St Austell, on June 22, 2020.

Mr Wilson was an area manager for Acorn Park, the company which owns Meadow Lakes. A jury inquest into his death began at Pydar House, Truro, today and is due to conclude tomorrow. It heard how Mr Wilson, described as a very hands-on manager, was mowing the lawn near the lake when the incident happened.

Staff were looking for him when they saw the lawnmower in the water. John Goodenough, a resident at the park, jumped into the lake and helped turn the mower over, and found Mr Wilson in the seat. Mr Goodenough could not recall whether Mr Wilson had a seatbelt on, or whether his feet were stuck.

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Mr Wilson's GP, Dr Natasha Jain, told the jury the 60-year-old had no significant medical conditions and was not taking medication. He did faint on June 7, however his vital signs were checked by paramedics and there were no concerns. A subsequent electrocardiogram (ECG) test raised no red flags either. Mr Wilson suffered suspected angina in 2003, but there are no records of any cardiac issues or symptoms in the following 17 years.

Consultant pathologist Dr Thomas Grigor, who carried out Mr Wilson's post-mortem examination, found no injuries that would account for the death.

Mr Wilson's heart was modestly enlarged compared to predictive heart weight, but normally structured. He had a slight narrowing and thickening of artery walls, which is a natural disease that occurs with age or smoking, but the narrowing of the gap in his arteries was not at a level which would produce symptoms or account for a death. No scarring, which occurs after heart attacks, was found.

Fluid was found in Mr Wilson's enlarged lungs, which could either be a sign of heart failure in cardiac-related deaths or a sign of drowning. However, in this case, the pathologist described it as a non-specific finding as no other significant symptoms were found. Mr Gregor concluded that Mr Wilson's cause of death is unascertained.

Mr Wilson's daughter Catherine described him as a "hard worker" and a "gentleman to work with" who is highly respected in his industry and prides himself on his family and passion for work.

Acorn Parks managing director Rachel Nation told the inquest that Mr Wilson was a very knowledgeable manager who had worked on holiday parks his whole life. He started work part time at the company in April 2020, before his hours were increased as the holiday parks prepared to reopen post-lockdown.

Ms Nation explained that Mr Wilson underwent an induction with her on the phone, and also on site with park managers. She told the jury about the company's health and safety and lone working policies and said the lawnmower involved in the incident had been serviced about three weeks before the incident.

The inquest heard how Mr Wilson was not shown how to use this particular lawnmower, as he assured his colleagues he knew what he was doing. He was seen using it by former park manager Nicholas Willumsen two weeks before his death and looked completely familiar with it.

A health and safety enforcement officer at Cornwall Council, Darren Hambly, confirmed the lawnmower had been bought approximately 15 months prior and was serviced a month before the incident. Following Mr Wilson's death, the mower was held by police, before being moved to an independent location where it was inspected by the council. The inspection happened six months after the incident.

The mower had a seatbelt which was seemingly operational. No mechanical defects that could have contributed to the incident were found. The holiday park's health and safety policies were also looked at and were compliant with legal requirements. The restricted access to the lake, with a wooden fence and a gateway, was also considered satisfactory.

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