Farmer trapped under half tonne straw bale saved by what3words app

A farmer from Nottinghamshire has been saved by a neighbour using the what3words app, after becoming trapped beneath a half-tonne straw bale.

Michael Moss, 39, was working from home when he heard shouts from a nearby field, and ran over to investigate.

He found a local farmer, named Stephen, trapped from the waist down underneath a large straw bale.

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After calling emergency services, Michael found it difficult to describe his exact location due to it being in a remote spot in open fields.

“I called the emergency services, and told them what had happened. They asked me where we were, and I was struggling to describe the precise location,” said Michael.

“We were in a field in the middle of nowhere – it wasn’t like I could share an exact street name and house number,” he said.  

Location 

Having remembered that he had the what3words app downloaded, Michael was able to give the emergency services the precise 3m x 3m location within the field.

He also contacted local farmers who rushed to remove the bale.

An ambulance arrived within 15 minutes, and the farmer suffered severe trauma to his pelvis and femur, but is expected to make a full recovery.

Michael said: “Ultimately, having what3words on my phone was absolutely critical to the rescue, as I wasn’t wasting precious time trying to describe where we were in the middle of a large field.

“I was so relieved Stephen was able to get the help he needed on time.

“Since the incident, I have encouraged friends and family to download the what3words app, especially as we’re a rural community and often don’t have an obvious address or clear location to refer to. It was a lifesaver.”