On a quiet August morning in rural Cheshire, a father watched his son descend into a silage tank and never come back up — and so he followed. Alan Ford, 72, died as he had lived: in service to those he loved, entering the same confined space that had already claimed his son Rick, 42, in a reflexive act of paternal devotion that emergency services could not undo. The inquest now gathering its findings must reckon not only with the mechanics of an industrial tragedy, but with the ancient and ungovernable instinct that sent one man after another into the dark.
Father dies attempting rescue of son in silage tank tragedy
Two deaths: Alan Ford (72) and Rick Ford (42), a father of five, died after falling into a silage tank while attempting repairs and rescue.