Mr Lee was killed when the cows he was herding stampeded A fireman has admitted causing the death of a farmer who was crushed by his herd of cows after they were startled by fire engine sirens.
Julian Lawford pleaded guilty at Exeter Crown Court to causing the death of Harold Lee by careless driving.
Mr Lee, 75, was trampled to death as he walked the cows along a country road near his home in Burtle, Somerset, in August last year.
Lawford, 49, from Glastonbury, had been due to stand trial.
The fireman, who lives in Boundary Way, pleaded not guilty to charges of manslaughter and causing death by dangerous driving, but admitted the lesser charge which was accepted by the prosecution.
Richard Smith QC, defending, told the court: “Such a plea reflects that he drove his fire engine forward with its lights flashing with the herd in front of him, which caused them to act as they did, causing the death.
“This plea would be acceptable to the Crown Prosecution Service.”
The incident happened on a B-road near Burtle, on the Somerset levels between Glastonbury and Burnham-on-Sea, at about 1520 BST on 11 August last year.
Mr Lee had been moving a herd of 100 dairy cows from a field towards their milking parlour at Robins Farm.
He was airlifted to Royal United Hospital in Bath with serious head and chest injuries, before being transferred to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol, where he died six days later.
The judge, Mr Justice Evans, adjourned the case until Monday, when Lawford will be sentenced.
He told Lawford he was not considering an immediate custodial sentence.
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