A farmer narrowly escaped serious injury after her dog accidently started the hydraulic controls of a straw chopper hitched to her vehicle, sending the chopper through the rear window.

Devon farmer Melanie Forward was driving the farm’s John Deere 6200 when six-year-old Danny, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross, leapt into the driver’s cab after being startled by a shotgun going off in a nearby field.

Danny ran up behind the driver’s seat looking for a safe place to hide but at the same time, the dog accidentally activated the controls of the straw-chopper connected to the rear of the tractor. The control box for the chopper reared up and smashed through the back window of the cab.

Melanie Forward, who runs the farm near Exeter with her husband, said the incident had been a real shock. “There was a big bang as the straw chopper started to come through the rear window, and Danny and I both got out pretty quickly!” said Melanie.

“Thankfully Danny wasn’t trapped, but the real lesson for me is that dogs can be dangerous if they’re in the cab when I’m driving. You see so many farmers driving with their dogs, so I’m surprised accidents like this aren’t more common.”

Thankfully no one was injured in the incident, and Melanie’s insurance company, Cornish Mutual, was able to manage the claim to cover the cost of repairing the damage through the Agricultural Motor Vehicle Policy which the Forward farm holds with the company.

Alan Goddard, managing director for Cornish Mutual, said farmers should consider the potential dangers of having an unrestrained animal in the cab with them.

He said: “By making people aware of this incident, we hope to highlight the need for farmers to ensure dogs are always kept secure and under control while they are in the cab of a tractor or farm vehicle. The Highway Code is a good guideline to follow.

“Thankfully no one was injured in this case and it was only the vehicle that sustained damage, but it could have been much worse had Melanie not acted as quickly as she did.”

The UK Highway Code states that “when in a vehicle make sure dogs or other animals are suitably restrained so they cannot distract you while you are driving or injure you if you stop quickly”. In some European countries, the law does not allow dogs to travel in vehicles if they are not restrained.

For more information search for The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CRoW Act 2000).