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Deaths in 2001
Deaths in 2001
Back to Top Deaths in 2002
FURTHER DETAILS OF DEATHS
Michael Alfred Medlock
Michael, an employee of Cambridge University, died after falling down stairs at the university. The inquest was held at South and West Cambridgeshire Coroner’s Court on 28
March 2002. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Richard Walter Joyce
Richard, director of an electrical company, died of injuries sustained when he fell off a ladder on his own farm. The inquest was held at Peterborough Coroner's Court on 21 May 2002. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Simon Mitchell
Simon, a farm worker, died of injuries sustained the previous day when he fell off a ladder. Simon, who had worked as a farm hand for The Shropshire Group for three and a half years, took the decision to come down the ladder while his colleague, who had been 'footing' it to stabilise it, went to the toilet. The ladder slipped and Simon fell on to concrete and fractured his skull. An Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation which followed showed Shropshire's had not carried out a risk assessment for the job and had no general policy for working at height. The ladder had not been 'tied off ' at the top and did not have a stabiliser at the bottom. The inquest was held at North and East Cambridgeshire Coroner's Court on 24 July 2002. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. In September 2003 The Shropshire Group were fined £20,000 with more than £22,000 costs following Simon's death. The Shropshire Group, a major agricultural company which supplies produce for supermarket chains, admitted breaching HSE regulations by failing to ensure Simon's safety while he was repairing the roof of a three metre-high trailer with a workmate. The group has now introduced a policy for working at height and established safer procedures with a £15,000 fenced platform and employees must wear a harness restraint. Sentencing Shropshire, Judge Jonathan Haworth said he accepted 'footing' a ladder is a common and practicable system for experienced workers to use. The accident highlighted a gap in Shropshire's policies that had been swiftly remedied and it was clear the partnership had not been cutting corners, he added.
Temidayo Ade-Onojobi
Temidayo,
a disabled child at a special needs school, was found dead at school. Gary Clark
Gary, an amateur pilot, was killed in a plane crash when the brakes of the L-39 jet he was taking instruction in failed. Gary activated his ejection seat but failed to reach sufficient height for his parachute to inflate. He died of a broken neck, a tear to an artery and multiple injuries. The instructor claimed that Gary had been warned not to use the ejection seat outside the right parameters as this could prove fatal. The inquest was held at South and West Cambridge Coroner's Court on 2 October 2003. A verdict of 'Death by Misadventure' was returned. Gary and his instructor Andy Gent had been due to land at Duxford, refuel and return to North Weald. But the plane overshot the runway and veered off into a field. It ploughed through the crash barrier and onto the northbound carriageway of the M11. It also smashed through the central reservation before coming to rest on the motorway's southbound carriageway. There were no vehicles on the stretch of usually busy motorway at the time, and Mr Gent was uninjured but suffered serious shock. Mrs Clark
was unsatisfied with the verdict, wanting one of 'Death by Unlawful Killing'. She also demanded more stringent controls over who should be allowed to become an instructor.
Eszter Nagy
Eszter,
a Hungarian farm worker, died after being trapped beneath a fork-lift
truck on a farm near Bassingbourn. She had only been in the country for
ten days. In August 2002 a 20-year-old man from the Ukraine was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and then released on police bail to reappear at Parkside police station. In December 2004 E.W. Pepper Ltd, of Wyndmere, Steeple Morden, Royston, Hertfordshire, pleaded guilty to a breach of health and safety law during a hearing at Stevenage Magistrates' Court and was fined £20,000 The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) case related to the firm's failure to use trained staff to drive forklift trucks. The company was also criticised for failure to control access to forklift trucks.The HSE investigation found the company had poor control over access to its forklift trucks, with particularly poor control over access to ignition keys. HSE inspector David Head said he hoped this prosecution would send a message out to all employees to prevent this type of accident happening again. 'We know forklift trucks can be dangerous and recently we have seen several serious accidents with them,' he said. 'It is very important that firms make sure only trained and authorised staff drive them. Failure to do this can lead to tragic consequences, as with this case where a young woman sadly lost her life. Whenever something like this happens it hits a lot of people.' In court the firm was also ordered to pay £11,500 in costs.
Andrew Chillingworth
Andrew,
a forklift truck operator died when a load he was lifting fell upon him.
He was lifting crates of plasterboard and got off the vehicle to get at
some boards underneath them when the load toppled over causing him massive
head injuries The inquest heard that he was attempting to lift one and a half crates at once rather than the usual single crate. Terry Humes, another employee at the firm, told the hearing, 'Andrew had loaded the forklift up and I saw that it had fallen on him, the whole lot came on top of him. Yard foreman Jason Smith said, 'It would have been part of Andrew's duty to load his own lorry and make deliveries from the yard. I was working when Terry came shouting to give him a hand because Andrew had had an accident. When I saw what had happened I took a step back and I freaked. Each of those packs of plasterboards is about 1.7 tonnes.'
Mark Feibig
Mark,
a tractor driver, died of traumatic head injuries sustained in an incident
when his van drifted into the path of an oncoming articulated lorry as he drove home. During the inquest, held at at Ely Magistrates' Court, the Coroner William Morris said he was invoking the rule aimed at the prevention of similar fatalities and would be filing a report to the company on that basis. He said he was very concerned at the length of hours worked. He said they were 'intolerable hours' that led to the 'inevitable' possibility that he 'simply fell asleep' while driving. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. In March 2006 at Cambridge Crown Court The Produce Connection, of Chittering, Cambs, admitted failing to ensure the health of workers and the public. The prosecution was the first of its kind in the UK by the Health and Safety Executive. Judge Guest said the case would arouse public concern - possibly outrage. He said a company in a healthy financial position would have to pay a 'significant financial penalty' after admitting such offences. But lawyers for The Produce Connection said the company had an overdraft of nearly £2m and was on the verge of insolvency. The judge asked for more information about the company's financial state and adjourned sentencing to a date to be fixed. In June 2006 Judge Gareth Hawksworth fined the firm £30,000. He said The Produce Connection had failed to monitor the hours employees worked. The court had heard that Mark was thought to be suffering from 'chronic fatigue' and had fallen asleep at the wheel.
Kenneth Hicks
Kenneth, a lorry driver, suffered serious head injuries when a pallet loaded with boxes fell on top of him. He was rushed to hospital but died of his injuries two months later. Kenneth was collecting a new load a Pallet Network's Magna Road depot. In accordance with Pallet Network's guidelines he was inspecting freight being loaded by a fork-lift truck when it began to wobble. Kenneth, who was not a Pallet Network employee, tried to steady the load but was knocked to the floor and it fell on him. In February 2004 at Leicester Magistrates Court haulage firm employers Pallet Network admitted they were to blame for Kenneth's death. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) told the court the company did not have adequate safety controls despite a number of incidents involving loads. HSE inspector Mhairi Lockwood told the court there was no safe system of work for loading or unloading operations. In July 2004 at Leicester Crown Court Pallet Network Limited was fined £50,000 under Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 for failing to ensure the safety of people not in its employment. It was also ordered to pay the full prosecution costs of £10,023. Prosecuting on behalf of HSE, lan Bridge told the court that Kenneth Hicks was standing in a warehouse next to his lorry as it was being loaded by a forklift truck. During the operation, the truck lifted a pallet load with a stack of boxes to place inside the lorry. However, the court was told that the 540-kilogram stack of boxes toppled over, striking Kenneth as he attempted to steady the load.
Ben Taylor
Ben, a trainee trailer fitter, died of head injuries sustained after falling under the wheels of a HGV in his workplace three weeks earlier. He died in Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, on March 20 of massive cerebral trauma. The inquest took place at North and East Cambridgeshire Coroner's Court on 19 November 2003 when a jury of returned a unanimous verdict of 'Accidental Death'. The hearing was told that Ben had become caught between the air tank and rear mudguards of a shunter vehicle, used to tow trailers, as it pulled out from a workshop. Andy Watling, told William Morris, coroner for North and East Cambridgeshire, he had seen the shunter vehicle start moving forwards out of the workshop, with Ben walking in the same direction.'I looked back and saw Ben between the air tank and rear mudguards of the shunter. I didn't see any reason why he had got himself into that position and I have no explanation for it,' he added. 'The mudguards then hit Ben in the back, knocking him onto the floor. The shunter was still moving and the rear wheels went all the way over him. I was shouting and the shunter then stopped. I could see Ben was seriously injured.' Andy said his colleague had been wearing standard company issue overalls at the time of the accident, with reflective strips on the arms and around the body. But the inquest heard Ben had not been wearing a reflective jacket that was also given to employees at Turners. Paul Stumpf, who was driving the shunter at the time of the accident, said he had checked his rear view mirror and seen Ben standing about 10 feet behind the vehicle before it began moving. 'I didn't realise anything was untoward until I felt a judder as if the air brakes had come on,' he added. 'I was not aware of anybody shouting before I got out of the shunter and then I found Ben lying on the ground with what looked like serious injuries. I had told him before I jumped into the shunter what I was going to do and do not know why he was so close to the lorry.' Stephen Hartley, an inspector from the Health and Safety Executive, visited the site following the accident and told the inquest no conclusions could be drawn about why Ben had become stuck. He added Turners had not breached any relevant safety laws to cause the collision. Describing the accident as an 'extremely sad matter', Coroner Mr Morris said, 'It is a mystery as to why it was that Ben Taylor came to be positioned between the air tank and the mudguard of the rear wheels. There is speculation as to whether he was engrossed in making a telephone call on his mobile phone, but there is no evidence at all that this is the case and it is therefore very difficult to work out why this tragic event happened.'
Nic Edeleanu
Nic,
an offshore oil driller, was killed when a metal bar fell on him at French drilling company Transocean's
oil rig in Nigeria. The inquest heard that Nic was alone on the pipe deck of the oil rig MG Hulme Jr, off the Nigerian coast, when at 12.20am a roustabout heard a shout. He saw Nic had been struck by a Samson post - a steel upright - and fell and suffered head injuries. He was airlifted to hospital in Port Harcourt and arrived five hours later. He died at 9.30am. The report showed rig workers had reported the fractured weld just 18 hours before the fatal accident - but it was not repaired and the area was not closed to workers. It further transpired the weld was previously repaired on February 28 but the welder was not qualified to do the work. Transocean was not represented at the hearing. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said it would not investigate Nic's death because it was outside its jurisdiction. The death will not appear in its list of recorded fatalities at work.
William German
William, a farmer was killed when he was hit by his 44-year old tractor while he was clearing the road of spilled manure. William's son David saw the incident at Manor Farm, Winwick and how his father was unsuccessful in stopping the tractor and fell under one of its wheels, suffering multiple injuries. David said both he and his father took care in keeping the road clean to protect other users, especially motorcyclists. The hearing was told that David German was driving his own tractor towards his father William when he saw the tragedy unfold. The inquest heard the tractor's handbrake was faulty and could disengage through the vibrations of the engine. Dr Lattimore told the inquest that William had been doing his best to prevent an accident, but had fallen victim to one himself. He said, 'It is a lesson to everybody who uses machinery to ensure it is always kept in working order.' Pc Clive Holgate, accident investigator, said the handbrake on the tractor was worn. A test was carried out which showed it could disengage with engine vibrations and could roll freely on a slope. He said there was also a film of diesel on the tractor, which could have made it slippery.
Neil Rix and Bill Murton
Bill, a pilot, was flying a vintage Firefly plane at the Flying Legends Air Show was killed along with Neil, his navigator, when the plane crashed in a field near Duxford. The aircraft was flying normally in sunny clear conditions before it rolled upside down and careered into a field close to the M11 motorway, well away from spectators. Eye-witness Graham Boyd said, 'It went into a rolling movement. The pilot appeared to be struggling to regain control but didn't have enough height to recover and the aircraft plunged into the ground.' The inquest took place at South and West Cambridgeshire Coroner's Court in April 2004 when a jury returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death' on both men. The hearing was told heard Bill, a senior Royal Navy pilot, had qualified to fly the Firefly three months earlier. A Royal Navy inquiry concluded that Bill was qualified only to perform basic display manoeuvres and had used poor technique while flying at the show where he and Neil, a fitter with the Royal Naval Historic flight, died. The jury concluded that while Bill was a skilled and experienced pilot, his lack of experience in flying the Firefly contributed to the incident. In a report from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), issued in the week of the incident, investigators recommended a review of current arrangements at Duxford airfield to prevent aircraft landing or aborting take-offs from running on to the M11.
Cecil Bradshaw
Cecil,
a farmer, was trapped under a trailer at a farm in Conquest Drove near
Peterborough. He sustained serious head injuries and died in hospital.
Martin Butler and Chris Mead
Martin and Chris, factory workers, were killed when a fire broke out in the factory they worked in. They were trapped behind a jammed fire safety door as a blaze tore through the Anvil Alloys International factory, in Whittlesey. About 50 firefighters were called in to tackle the flames. The inquest took place at North and East Cambridgeshire Coroner's Court in May 2006. The hearing, held at Wisbech Magistrates' Court, was told Martin Butler and Chris died from inhaling fumes as the blaze swept through the building. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) officer Stuart Hamilton told the inquest he had visited Anvil Alloys on the day after the fire. He said the fire could have been avoided if 'the company had paid more attention to daily house keeping, and additional fire-resistant covering in any area where hot work took place. He also said the two fatalities 'could have been avoided if the fire doors had been properly maintained, fire alarms installed and smoke detectors had been installed in the roof.' Mr Hamilton said adequate fire safety training should have been given. Mr Turner, one of three directors of the Watford-based firm, said he took over looking after health and safety procedures from ex-employee Steve Gibson in 2001. He said, 'Unfortunately we were most remiss when Mr Gibson left us. Certain things were overlooked. I realised fairly quickly we were lacking risk assessments. I put the data from handwritten sheets onto a computer spreadsheet, but not the fire precaution assessments. With a logical thought process I should have realised it should have been there, but for some reason I did not.' Mr Turner was asked by Martin's brother, Barry, a co-worker who was lucky to escape from the fire, if the former potato factory was suitable to be used for heavy welding work when it was purchased in 1997. Mr Turner said the change of use had been approved by Fenland District Council. Chris's brother, Stephen, then asked Mr Turner why were there no fire drills. He replied, 'There should have been.' He then asked him why were there no fire safety procedures. Stephen asked why some of the fire doors were sealed, and Mr Turner replied, 'I believe they were sealed prior to 2001.' When questioned by coroner William Morris, Mr Turner confirmed that there were no procedures for fire drills or fire safety practices. He believed evacuation procedures had been in place before Mr Gibson left. Mr Turner said there were no emergency lighting systems or a smoke alarm system. Coroner William Morris told the jury it could only return 'Open' or 'Accidental' verdicts. He said, 'The key element missing is nobody in the whole of the factory saw the start of the fire.' He added, however, that 'clearly there was an awful lot wrong in that factory'. The nine-strong inquest jury deliberated for three hours before delivering an 'Open' verdict following the five-day inquest on 12 May 2006. Mr Morris read the jury statement which said, 'An employee was grinding mild steel. In our opinion, a spark ignited debris causing a fire to rapidly engulf foam-covered walls and spread throughout the factory. The two deceased were unable to escape from the press room where they were working. In our opinion there were no proper fire precaution procedures, employee inductions or health and safety procedures. We have found the company negligent in all aspects of fire procedures and health and safety. Two fire doors were blocked and unusable. There were no visual alarms. Fire doors which were usable did not have proper locks and push bars. The factory did not have an emergency lighting system.' After the verdict was announced, Stephen Mead read out a statement on behalf of both families. He said, 'Both families are disappointed that the fire service (Cambridgeshire) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have decided not to prosecute in this case. Despite the verdict, the coroner did concede that there were serious failings that may have impacted on the way the men met their deaths and that there were clear failings on the part of the company.' He thanked the police and fire service for their efforts and their investigations into the deaths of two family members they 'miss terribly'. He added, 'Both families need to reflect on all that we have heard and decide what course of action we may wish to take. This has been a very difficult time for both families and we now need some time to gather our thoughts.' The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Cambridgeshire police had previously decided not to seek prosecutions but all said they would reconsider evidence following the inquest jury's open verdict. The CPS confirmed it had a file from the police of the investigation. But a CPS Casework Directorate said it was too early to tell whether further action would to be taken. A spokesman said, 'We have a two-stage test in meeting the criteria necessary for a prosecution. Firstly, whether there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction. And, if so, then is it also in the public interest to proceed.' A spokesman for the HSE said it would now review the investigation it carried out with the police and fire service in order to decide whether legal proceedings would be appropriate under health and safety legislation. The spokesman added, 'With regards to fire safety procedures and any prosecution relating to that, it would be up to the fire and rescue service. But the HSE will look at the legislation that it enforces in relation to the circumstances of this incident. If legal proceedings are appropriate, we will take them.' A statement from the fire service read, 'Prior to the inquest, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service had taken a decision not to pursue a prosecution against Anvil Alloys, A police spokeswoman said, 'The police will of course evaluate any verdict the jury returns.'
Adrian Davis
Adrian, a lorry driver, was killed on the A14 after taking a bend too wide and crushing his cab on a roadside barrier, the impact killed him instantly. In June 2005 the Highways Agency invited concerned residents to spell out their fears at a public meeting just over a mile from the A14-M11 interchange at Girton, the scene of numerous pile-ups. John Bridge, chairman of Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce, said talking about the problem had to be accompanied with funding for road improvements. 'There is only one solution and that is getting on with the actual implementation of the Chumms (Cambridge to Huntingdon Multi-Modal Study) proposal,' he said. 'What we need is the money to get the road dealt with properly. That has not happened. The people who have delayed it need to understand that they are responsible for the consequences we are suffering from. The situation is going to continue to get worse. In July 2005 the Freight Transport Association (FTA), which represents more than 200,000 drivers and the companies they work for, expressed concern over safety and congestion on the A14. Louisa Bellée, FTA regional policy manager, said, 'The problems surrounding the A14 are a result of poor design. There are too many junctions and not enough road so the answer is to upgrade the A14 to motorway standard, introducing three lanes in both directions from the M11 to at least Huntingdon.'
David Muffett
David, a crop-sprayer, was travelling between potato fields. He was killed when the 10.45am WAGN train smashed into his tractor at the Black Horse Drove crossing in Littleport, as it was travelling from London to King's Lynn. Officials from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) released a report in July 2006 on the collision which killed David and left the train driver with minor injuries. It states, 'The accident was caused by the tractor driver either not noticing the red miniature stop light at the crossing, or he chose to ignore it and drove his tractor on to the railway.' The RIB report added, 'It is not possible to be certain of the reason why the tractor driver considered it safe to drive on to the crossing. He had lived and worked in the area throughout his recent career and regularly used the crossings on this line.' Any inquest would take place at North and East Cambridgeshire Coroner's Court.
David Townsend
David Townsend, 22, died when he fell from his tractor in a field and became trapped in machinery. He was dragged about 200 yards under the harrow, machinery used to break up soil, and was not discovered for two hours. The inquest took place at South and West Cambridgeshire Coroner's Court on 9 March 2006 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. The inquest heard David's body was discovered by landowner Nigel Smith at about 9.30am, after a dog walker alerted him to the fact an unmanned tractor had been left running in his field and had crashed into a hedge.
Bob Bartell
Bob worked as a plumber or hydraulic engineer, travelling all over the world. At the time of the fatal incident he was working for a Dutch firm, through a Glasgow-based agency called Meridian which had found him work in Holland. He had been working with welding equipment on a ship and just complained of a 'bit of a cold and cough' when he came back to Britain. Bob's heart stopped as hospital staff were preparing him for a scan to try to diagnose what was wrong with him. Bob was 'suffocated' by bacterial pneumonia following exposure to gases from his welding torch. Dr Meryl Griffiths, consultant pathologist at Addenbrooke's, who carried out a post mortem on his body, told the hearing the bacterial pneumonia he had contracted would not have been fatal if his lungs had not been fatally weakened by exposure to the fumes. Bob's daughter Aimee said her father was staying with a friend in Newmarket when he was taken ill on December 19 - three days after coming back to Britain. She said her father had mentioned that extractor fans had not been working on the ship. The inquest heard that Intec Marine and Offshore had not received any reports from workers on the ship about poor ventilation. But Bob told doctors treating him his concerns were so great he was considering not returning to work on the ship after the Christmas break, it was said at the hearing.
David Allen
David was working in an office at RAF Alconbury when he was electrocuted. Staff found David slumped on the floor with a cable in one hand and a pair of charred wire strippers in the other. The air was heavy with a burning smell and when one of the staff kicked away the cable, the room was lit up by an arc of electricity. The inquest took place at South and West Cambridgeshire Coroner's Court on 3 November 2006 when a verdict of death by 'Misadventure' was returned. The inquest heard that David was working alone at the time of the incident in a warehouse office at the air base. He was employed by the Ministry of Defence and was in the process of moving and re-installing a wall heater. Karl Howes, an inspector from the Health and Safety Inspectorate (HSE) , said David had started the job during the morning. He had consulted his supervisor over what needed to be done and was then left to carry out the work. After his lunch break, David set about rewiring the wall heater, which was being moved to a different part of the office. Mr Howes said, 'In the morning, Mr Allen had broken the circuit but he didn't test each power point. The power point he used in the afternoon primarily fed the office next door and was live. This arrangement of supplying two rooms is not atypical but it is used in domestic and business properties. It is standard practice to check each point before working on it.'
Glyn Clarke
Glyn, a self-employed driver working for Jobsworth, an employment agency, was making a delivery to a BP filling station in Ely Road, Waterbeach. He was crushed to death by hydraulic lifting equipment at the back of his lorry as he unloaded goods for the garage shop. The inquest will take place at South and West Cambridgeshire Coroner's Court on a date yet to be set.
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