Deaths in 2001

Deaths in 2002

Deaths in 2003

Deaths in 2004

Deaths in 2005

Deaths in 2006

Deaths in 2007

Deaths in 2008

Deaths in 2001

Click on the names below for further case details

Deaths in 2002

No details of deaths available

Back to Top

Deaths in 2003

Click on the names below for further case details

Back to Top

Deaths in 2004

No details of deaths available

Back to Top

Deaths in 2005

Click on the names below for further case details

Deaths in 2006

Click on the names below for further case details

Deaths in 2007

Click on the names below for further case details

Deaths in 2008

Click on the names below for further case details

FURTHER DETAILS OF DEATHS

Michael Comins

Michael, a construction worker, was killed when he was struck by the bucket which fell from the arm of a digger.

The inquest was held at Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner’s Court on 9 January 2002. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned.

Back to Top

Jasvinder Singh Bohgan

Jasvinder Singh, a security guard, was discovered outside the Thornton's factory in Belper he was guarding by two workers arriving for an early shift.

In February 2003 at Nottingham Crown Court, Callum Allen, a thief who had entered the factory premises, was given a life sentence for Jasvinder's murder and two concurrent three-year sentences for burglaries at the factory.

He had broken in to plunder the site's gaming machines. Allen, who had denied murder, said he had broken into the factory to take revenge on his former employers and a former colleague who had taunted him for being gay.

The court heard Allen, who had worked as a security guard at the factory between 1997 and 2000, went to the site armed with a claw hammer and a crowbar. When confronted, he bludgeoned father-of-three Jasvinder Singh Bohgan to death.

Jailing Allen, Mr Justice Gage said, 'Having just broken into the Thornton's factory in Belper you came across the sole security guard and you attacked him with a hammer and a crowbar. Having disabled him you dragged him into a carport, next to his car, and savagely beat him round the head with a hammer. This was a brutal and truly shocking murder. You are a dangerous and devious man. By your actions you have taken the life of an entirely innocent man who was doing nothing more than carrying out his duties.'

Following the verdict, Detective Superintendent Jack Russell, of Derbyshire Police, said, 'The family are pleased that Allen has been found guilty and happy with the fact that he has been given a life sentence. They can never forget Jas, and this will be of little comfort, but they now feel that they can put the incident behind them and try to move on with their lives.'

Back to Top

Barry Buckenham

Barry, a construction worker, was killed at work on the M1 motorway.

The inquest was held at Scarsdale Coroner’s Court on 3 May 2002. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned.

Back to Top

Stephen Madley

Stephen, an electrical fitter who was a permanent contractor for Blus Circle Cement, died by electrocution

The inquest was held at High Peak Coroner’s Court on 29 April 2002. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned.

Back to Top

Steven Phillips

Steven, a maintenance fitter, died when his head was trapped between a steel joist and a moving part of a moulding machine. Despite the efforts of his friend to switch of the machine, Steven was killed instantly.

The inquest was held at Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner’s Court on 24 July 2002.

The hearing was told that Steven, who had worked at the car part factory since 1977 had spotted a fault in the machine. Colleague Anthony Biddle said maintenance staff were 'fed up' with the machine repeatedly breaking down over the previous few weeks and they had not been taking as much care for their safety.

Mr Biddle told the inquest the maintenance team had found a 2ft-wide pool of oil beneath the machine. he opened a wire-mesh gate next to the machine but he and Steven had decided to shut down the machine before getting any closer.

'I turned around to go to the control panel over the bridge and was bout half way over when I glanced over my shoulder and saw Mr Phillips had entered the gate and was leaning into the machine while it was still moving. I called out to him, but he didn't appear to respond. I went to the control panel as quickly as I could but by the time I got there he was already trapped.'

Steven was released from the machine but was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering massive head injuries.

The inquest was told that a system of work permits, where staff were required to get written permission before gaining access to dangerous machinery, was not strictly adhered to at the time of the incident.

But Richard O'Sullivan, QDF's health and safety advisor, said instructions were now issued to staff telling them what steps were needed to carry out maintenance work.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) officer Sarah Jardine said, 'I am satisfied that the system in place now is as good as can be in the circumstances, provided that it is adhered to.'

A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned.

Back to Top

Charles Green

Charles, a lorry driver for a security firm, died when he was trapped between a forklift truck and quarrying equipment. Charles was due to take a consignment of fluorspar from the Cavendsih Mill mineral processing plant to Liverpool docks for export to Greece.

He was killed while walking on site when a forklift truck rolled towards him crushing him against a mechanical loader.

The inquest was held at Scarsdale Coroner’s Court on 21 January 2004 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned.

After the inquest it was announced that the site owners, Glebe Mines Limited, have now created a lorry 'holding area' to prevent a build-up of vehicles near the warehouse.

The Health and Safety Executive said that no company had been prosecuted but the incident was still under investigation.

Back to Top

Barry Williams

Barry, a worker at the Downlow Quarry on Sterndale Moor, was at the base of the quarry when a rockfall crushed the metal cage in which he was working. It took several hours before rescuers could make safe the area and reach Barry, by which time he was dead.

The inquest was to be held at High Peak Coroner’s Court.

Back to Top

Bernard Place

Bernard, a self-employed contractor working for a Hertfordshire based firm, Sisk Builders and Contractors, was found crushed to death near ground levelling equipment at the site of a new car park they were constructing at the Toyota plant in Burnaston.

The inquest was held at Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner’s Court on 4 October 2004.

The jury heard that Brian died from multiple injuries when two wheels of an industrial vehicle, a motor grader which prepares soil for road resurfacing, ran over him. Bernard had been working on a two-man team. Bernard's job was to guide the driver by using signals.

Morton Griffiths, the driver, told the court that he would usually expect Bernard to be standing at he front right of the vehicle. He said he did not see Bernard as he was reversing.

A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned.

Back to Top

Trevor Martin

Trevor, a window cleaner, was killed when he fell to the ground while cleaning a third storey window in Derby city centre. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him but it was too late.

The inquest was held at Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner’s Court on 22 July.

Staff at Eddowes Waldron, solicitors, whose windows Trevor was cleaning at the time of the incident told the hearing they had always been concerned about Trevor's safety. The inquest also heard that Trevor had been told by doctors not to carry ladders because of a history of angina.

Evidence given by office manager Paul Kegan revealed that a proper health and safety risk assessment of Trevor's work practices was never carried out by Eddowes Waldron even though the company had a responsibility to him as a contractor.

In addition, police photographs of the 18.5 cm-wide window ledge showed it was covered in bird droppings. There was also a slip mark in the droppings. Another photo of Trevor's shoe showed white stains on the sole, which Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner Peter Ashworth suggested may have been bird droppings.

The inquest jury returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death' with an additional remark that they believed it was unsafe to use this particular technique for cleaning windows.

Back to Top

Nathan Savage

Nathan died after suffering serious head injuries when he fell from metal framework as he fitted panels in a ceiling in the early hours of the morning. At the time of the incident it was reported that Nathan fell 20ft. Nathan worked for S and M Coldstores which was sub-contracted by Carter Retail Equipment on work for Westfield the company that jointly owns the Eagle Centre where the incident happened.

The inquest was held at Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner’s Court on 21 November 2006. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned.

Although no-one witnessed the incident CCTV images were used at the inquest to show where Nathan had fallen.

Stuart Lee was working for Westfield as a cleaner on the night of Nathan's death. He said that at around 2.30am he heard a loud thud as he was walking through the centre. In a statement read out to the jury, Mr Lee said he found Nathan lying unconscious on the floor with blood coming out of his nose. Nathan was taken by ambulance to Derbyshire Royal Infirmary but died 20 minutes later.

In December 2007 Steven Harry Brian Martin, director of S.M. Coldstores Ltd was ordered to pay £21,000 in compensation to the widow and child of Nathan Savage by Derby Crown Court. S.M. Coldstores Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Mr Martin pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37(1) of the same Act.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Principal Inspector Samantha Peace said, 'This was a terrible incident which resulted in a man losing his life. Work at height remains one of the biggest killers of employees within the construction industry. Last year in the construction industry across the country, there were 10 employees killed, 13 self-employed killed and 3,409 seriously injured after falling from height.

'These incidents could have been avoided if companies ensured that they had thought through a safe way of tackling the job, avoided work at height where possible, selected the right equipment for the job and ensured workers were fully trained and properly supervised. The precautions that need to be taken to prevent falls are often simple and there is ample free guidance readily available to help companies take the right action.'

The work was carried out using 'tower scaffolding'. Nathan had little experience working at height and had not been inducted on to the site. The prosecution claimed that Martin had failed to check that he had an epileptic condition and had not taken out liability insurance.

Martin said that he had ‘underestimated the risks they faced’. He added that Carter Retail had initially said it would provide scissor lifts, but when they arrived at the project he was told his firm would have to work with scaffolding.

In sentencing, Judge Burgess said, 'Every employer has a duty to look after and protect the people who work for them. There was inadequate supervision or training, particularly for Nathan Savage and his brother. It's plain corners were cut. There is no sum of money that can make up for the loss to his family."

Nathan's mother Iris said after the sentence, 'There is no prison sentence. The judge says that is all he can do. I feel very sad. I feel sad for my son. I think he died for nothing. I think that his life was nothing, it meant nothing.'

Back to Top

Dean Noton

Dean, a laboratory technician, was found slumped at a table in the canteen of SafePharm Laboratories in Shardlow. Tests found he had 4mg of fentanyl, the drug he was testing, in his blood along with alcohol from the night before.

The inquest was held at Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner’s Court on 16 August 2007 when a Narrative verdict was returned.

The jury found: 'Between the hours of 1100 approximately and 1327 GMT on 19 February 2006 at SafePharm Laboratories, Shardlow, self-ingested administration of fentanyl by the deceased.'

The inquest was told Dean was bitten by one of the laboratory rats on the day he died. Experts told the hearing that the drug solution could be slowly absorbed into the body if it comes in contact with the skin.

The inquest also heard that checks raised questions about how much of the opiate - which gives a euphoric feeling similar to heroin - was used by the technician. A pathologist said the combination of alcohol and fentanyl was enough to cause his death.

After the hearing, lawyer Ed Myers, said on behalf of Dean's mother, Jan Cording, 'The family are devastated by Dean's death and very upset at the decision of the jury, that it was self-ingested. There was no evidence to suggest that he was anything other than an admirable employee and a much-loved son.'

Back to Top

Clive Hall

Clive, a maintenance worker, was killed after suffering severe head injuries while working on a section of a machine at box makers Glossop Carton and Print Ltd in Padfield. Initial reports suggest the machine started to operate and his head became embedded in the equipment.

Firefighters attended, acting on initial reports that 'a male had got his fingers trapped in a piece of machinery.' It was only when they arrived that they discovered the full extent of the horror. They informed the police and used spanners and other equipment to dismantle the machine at the Raymond Joseph Works' mill on Platt Street.

The inquest was to be held at Scarsdale and High Peak Coroner’s Court on 12 November 2008.

Back to Top

David Hallworth

David died after a cow charged through a cattle race at Ringstones Farm at Furness Vale, north Derbyshire, and crushed his head against the equipment. David was taken to Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport, where he was declared dead. He had died from head injuries.

The inquest was held at Scarsdale and High Peak Coroner’s Court at Chesterfield on 20 February 2008 and returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death'.

The fatal incident was witnessed by Carol Geddes of the Rural Payments Agency, who was visiting the farm to carry out a routine inspection. David had moved cattle through the race into a shed and was near the front of the apparatus when Miss Geddes heard 'an almighty clatter'. 'There was an animal moving at speed. Mr Hallworth was facing the crush yoke mechanism, bending over, and I screamed out to him to get out of there. I think it was over in seconds. By the time the animal had hit him I don't know if my warning was still flying out of my mouth,' said Miss Geddes.

She added, 'There was no response from him and I knew I had to get help quickly. I felt the whole herd could come back through so I closed the gate and ran to the farmhouse and told them there had been a terrible accident.'

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Melvin Sandell told the inquest, 'An animal had somehow got back into the race. There is a gate and its purpose is to stop that happening.'

Back to Top

Paul Plumb

Paul, a site supervisor, fell to his death through a gap in a walkway at a Derbyshire quarry. Paul was working for Lincoln-based sub-contractors GAME Engineering on a conveyor installation project at Tunstead Quarry, near Buxton, operated by Tarmac. He suffered multiple injuries and was declared dead soon afterwards at Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport.

The inquest was held at Scarsdale and High Peak Coroner’s Court on 17 April 2008 and returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death'.

The inquest heard that Paul asked employee Chris Holiwell-Brown to remove a damaged section of the walkway and knock it back into shape with a sledgehammer. Mr Holiwell-Brown was straightening the metal grille when Paul was called by fitter Philip Sturman about another task.

Paul turned around, ducked under a shoulder-high metal beam that crossed the walkway, and then plunged more than five metres through the void in the walkway to a concrete floor.

Kevin Wilson, an inspector with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), said, 'Mr Plumb was a very conscientious, diligent worker – almost a perfectionist.'

Back to Top

Edward Fox

Edward died when he was struck by a tractor being reversed by one of his employees at his farm, Whitemeadow, at Osmston, near Ashbourne.

The inquest was held at Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner's Court on 17 April 2008 and returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death'.

The jury heard that 19-year-old John Metcalfe who was driving the tractor had admitted in an interview with police two days after the incident that he had been warned about speeding in the tractor on the day of the incident.

Back to Top

Salma El Sharkawi and Elizabeth Fitton

Salma and Elizabeth, her care worker, died when the Peugeot 206 Elizabeth was driving swung out of control on a country road in Derbyshire, smashing into a tree.
The car’s petrol tank burst into flames on impact.

An inquest jury at Scarsdale and High Peak Coroner's Court on 27 March 2008 returned a narrative verdict: Ms Fitton and Salma died from injuries sustained in the collision on a country road in Millers Dale, Derbyshire, close to where Adventure Care is based.

Garry Codman, the director of Adventure Care Ltd, the private care home where Camden social services placed Salma, gave the all-clear to staff to use the vehicle.

Helen Slater, who set up the company in 2000, told the inquest, 'I accept the tyres were defective and not safe.' She said staff now use a tyre checker to measure the tread.

Relatives of both Salma and Elizabeth said they were disappointed with the inquest and that there were still unanswered questions about the tragedy and the procedure which saw Salma sent to the home.

The inquest heard that despite staff carrying out periodic checks on the car, and two staff reports in May 25 and June 8 noting the front tyres’ treads were too shallow, they were not replaced. Instead the car’s owner, Mr Codman, who admitted he had no formal expertise in inspecting tyre depths, ran his fingers over the car tyres, gave the all-clear and suggested the situation be monitored.

Adventure Care Ltd was prosecuted for using a car with defective tyres and fined £4,000 in January 2008.

The inquest heard how staff care worker Kirsty Hall checked the Peugeot on May 25, noting on a checklist 'tyre depth needs looking at, maybe changing soon, two front tyres'. Days later, on inspecting the car again, she noted, 'Two front tyres bald!!!.'

Mr Codman said his duties did not include dealing with the vehicles, although the car was registered in his name. He said, 'The only part I played was to check the tyres. Just a visual check, I ran my hand over them. I can’t remember what I said. I thought I said it was ready for changing but I can’t remember.'

Centre manager Lynn Allen said, 'I heard there were problems with the tyres. I spoke to Garry Codman. He said he would go and have a look at them, came upstairs and said ‘they are OK, they are on their way and need watching’. We don’t have individual risk assessments other than the checklist.'

Police collision investigator PC Richard Bell said, 'It’s not possible to state categorically why the driver of the Peugeot lost control but it’s likely to have been due to a combination of factors: the weather, the road surface, the vehicle conditions, defective front tyres.' He said the tyre tread was 'visibly below the legal limit'.

Elizabeth’s father, John Fitton, said after the inquest that he was planning to appeal against the Health and Safety Executive’s decision not to take action against Adventure Care.

Back to Top

Daniel Adams

Daniel, a farm labourer, was killed when he became trapped under machinery being towed by a tractor. Daniel died from head injuries after the incident which happened in a field in Walton-on-Trent.

Paramedics and the air ambulance attended the scene in Little Neville's Field, off Catton Road, but Daniel was pronounced dead at the scene.

An inquest jury at Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner's Court on 8 July 2008 returned a verdict of 'Misadventure'.

The hearing was told Daniel got too close to the tractor, which was driven by a young colleague. Daniel had driven the tractor, which was towing the rolling unit, to the field, where colleague Edward Glover, the son of company director James Startin, took over.

Jurors were told that, for a short period while Mr Glover cultivated the potato field, Daniel sat with him before jumping off to check the work.

Edward Glover said he had been driving the tractor at about three or four mph when he felt a bump and then saw Daniel. The inquest heard Daniel may have tried to jump back on the tractor, but there was no way to say how or why.

David Jordan, from the Health and safety Executive (HSE), told the inquest it may never be known why Daniel approached the tractor. He said, 'It is clear he did approach the vehicle, and I think that Edward Glover did not see him approach. My investigations reveal he got very close to the tractor, sufficiently close that he got trapped underneath the tractor. It is a very tragic accident.'

Back to Top

David Vickers

David was crushed to death after his skip lorry overturned and landed on him. David was unloading a skip at Addis Scaffolding Ltd on Markham Lane, Duckmanton, when his lorry toppled onto its side.

The inquest is to be held at Scarsdale and High Peak Coroner’s Court on a date yet to be set.

Back to Top

Bill Wilson

Bill, a window cleaner, was found on a patio with head injuries, after he fell 10ft from a bay window at a house in Ilkeston. A neighbour raised the alarm after hearing Brian calling for help. Paramedics took him to Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre where he later died while undergoing surgery.

The inquest is to be held at Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner’s Court on a date yet to be set.

Back to Top