A "special and hardworking" farmer who died after a telehandler driven by her son rolled into her died as a result of an accident, an inquest has concluded.

Megan Andrew, 62, suffered "catastrophic" and fatal injuries and died in a field at her family's farm at Bwlch Aeddan, Maesmawr near Welshpool on September 25, 2018.

Senior coroner Graeme Hughes concluded that she died as a result of an "unintended and unexpected chain of events" which included a "significant" slope and loss of effective braking function leading to loss of control.

The inquest hearing at Welshpool Town Hall on Thursday, September 16, heard that her son, Neil, had a "matter of a split second to react" as the heavy vehicle moved down the field.

Mr Hughes said: "He had little, if any, time. He panicked and attempted a last resort to release the bucket of the Manitou as an anchor.

"However, that time was insufficient to stop the Manitou from colliding with Megan, with distance and momentum".

"It is speculation that engaging the handbrake would bring the Manitou to a halt. The testing alone (by the Health and Safety Executive and Manitou) could not imitate the angle or terrain.

"It is also speculation that had Megan not exited the Gator it would have resulted in a different outcome. Megan likely experienced a degree of panic and acted on instinct to avoid a collision. Sadly, her action, placed in the path of a Manitou, led to catastrophic injuries leading to her death."

Mr Hughes added: "I do not find fault in the braking power of the Manitou. The safety instruction manual of this particular vehicle could be made clearer as to the possible consequences of not fully proceeding the start-up instructions.

"However, I do not find this to be a causative of Megan's death. Neil accepted he did not look up the start-up instructions and was not aware of the procedure."

Mr Hughes gave directions to Manitou to consider revisions to the operator's manual to explicitly say the possible consequences of failing to comply fully with the start-up procedure for the vehicle, and report any findings by November 12 this year.

Mrs Andrew's family described the wife, mother and grandmother as a "such a special member".

In a statement, the family said: "She was hardworking and was always smiling in the comfort of her family farm, she loved the outdoors.

"She will be dearly missed by all."