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Deaths in 2001
Deaths in 2001
Back to Top Deaths in 2002
Click on the names below for further case details
No details of deaths available
FURTHER DETAILS OF DEATHS
Dean, a maintainance fitter, died while
he was working at an electrical sub-station and was electrocuted
Robert, a farm worker, died on 30 May 2001 when he was impaled on a prong of a forklift truck at Winterbourne Farm. The inquest
took place in June 2001 at West Berkshire Coroner’s Court. A verdict
of 'Accidental Death' was returned.
David, a goods driver, died when he was crushed between a dump truck and his own lorry while off loading extractors from cement mixer. The inquest
took place in 25 March 2002 at West Berkshire Coroner’s Court. A
verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Deaths of Joan Walters, Eileen Risebro, Annie Robinson and Alexander Brown
Joan, Annie,
Eileen and Alexander and two others, all pensioners residing at the Lady Astor Court Nursing Home in Slough, Berkshire, mistook
dishwasher rinse bleach for blackcurrant cordial and drank it. The six
were taken to Wexham Park Hospital after the incident. An inquest was set first for May, then for November 2002, but was subsequently postponed. The inquest was finally held in November 2003 and returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death' in respect of Joan, Eileen and Annie, and a verdict of natural causes in the case of Alexander.
Michael was following a dustcart which ran over him. There was no inquest, the incident being treated as a road traffic accident.
Ravindra,
a bakery worker, died from injuries sustained when he and another worker
were crushed under a giant dough mixing machine. In July 2004 Montana Bakery Limited was £ 25,000 and ordered to pay costs of £30,000 at Reading Crown Court for breaches of health and safety legislation. The prosecution followed a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into the incident in which Ravindra was killed and the works engineer Leroy Moore sustained severe head injuries. The men were using a fork-lift truck to raise a two tonne dough mixing machine in order to gain access to the drive belt underneath which had failed jamming the machine. While they were working underneath the machine, the fork-lift overbalanced and caused the machine to fall. The weight being lifted exceeded the maximum load recommended for the fork-lift truck and the machine had not been secured by any other means. Dennis MacWilliam, HM Inspector of Safety and Health, said, 'This was a tragic incident, which not only took the life of a 41 year old married man with children, and severely injured another, but which was also entirely avoidable if basic safety steps had been taken at an earlier stage. There was failure by those involved to adequately assess the task and identify hazards. The weight and size of the machine were far too big for the fork lift being used to lift it. The HSE will not tolerate employers exposing their employees to unacceptable risks at work. The HSE has always been available to give advice in relation to health and safety at work. There is simply no excuse for employers to plead ignorance of good health and safety practice.'
Adam and
Sebastian, two Polish fruit pickers, were crushed to death after falling into
a twine-winding machine on a strawberry field at Sheeplands Farm which
bordered the A4 New Bath Road. It is believed that one worker fell into
the machine and his friend died after being dragged into the tractor-driven
machine while trying to pull his friend out. In July 2005 at Reading Crown Court the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) successfully prosecuted the Hall Hunter Partnership (Farming) Ltd, owner Harry Hall, aged 34, his 62-year-old father and fellow director Mark, and Aventis Services Ltd, which was contracted to build and dismantle the polytunnels used mainly in the cultivation of strawberries and raspberries. The court had been told that Adam was decapitated and his arms and spinal cord severed, and when Sebastian's body was found his legs were missing. Between them the Halls and their company were fined a total of £60,000 with £46,548.75 costs, and Aventis was ordered to pay a £20,000 fine and costs of £15,516.25. Passing sentence, Judge Jonathan Playford QC, said, 'In relation to Hall Hunter Partner-ship, no adequate risk assessment had been carried out. It was particular to the partnership to address this problem because they had 300 workers, many of whom were students and many from abroad who may not have had full understanding of safe working practices. With respect to Aventis, I accept that this accident was born out of ignorance, not putting profit before safety. Also, in relation to the partnership, I accept there was no question of them putting profit before safety.' Speaking later, HSE Inspector Matthew Lee said, 'In terms of injuries, it is the worst I have seen in 30 years as an inspector.' He added, 'The farming industry has one of the highest accident rates in the country. Farmers must ensure they take in to account how machines should be operated when deciding safe working practices, especially where young and inexperienced workers are involved.'
Back to Table (2001) Jeremy Pullen
Jeremy, a builder employed by J & H Roofing, Cottenham, died when he fell off the scaffold 30ft to the ground at Queensmere Shopping Centre, Slough when he was working on the roof. He was stretching across a four foot gap trying to unblock a rubble chute when he fell screaming to the ground as he had not been using a harness at the time. He had apparently ignored his own advice he had given to others during a health and safety induction The inquest took place at East Berkshire Coroner's Court on the 11th and 12th of September 2003. A verdict of Death by Misadventure was returned.
Back to Table (2001) Back to Table (2003) Alan Serpant
Alan died week after falling from the roof while working on a ventilation system. The inquest
took place at East Berkshire Coroner's Court on 5 February 2004 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Back to Table (2001) Deaths of Brian Drysdale, Stanley Martin, Anjenette Rossi, Louella Main, Emily Webster, Barry Strevens and Leslie Charles Matthews
Seven people were killed when a First Great Western train hit a car driven by Brian Drysdale at a level crossing near Ufton Nervet in Berkshire and derailed. Stanley Martin, the train driver and five passengers as well as Brian Drysdale died. Another 120 people were injured, 18 of them seriously. Work to clear and rebuild the track took several days. The incident occurred when Brian Drysdale's car drove onto the tracks when the barriers of the crossing were up, but they subsequently closed with the vehicle still on the track. The inquest was to take place at Berkshire Coroner's Court, sitting at the Guildhall Windsor, in October 2005 but was subsequently postponed over a row as to whether the victims' families should receive legal aid. The families of those killed were intending to make the case for extra safety measures to be introduced on trains at the inquest. They had requested legal aid to pay for barristers on the grounds the case had a 'wider public interest'. But the legal aid minister, Bridget Prentice, refused an application from David Main, whose partner, Anjanette Rossi, and nine-year-old daughter Louella were among those killed in the crash. Other families expect to have their request turned down as well. Lawyers for David Main planned to apply for a judicial review. The inquest eventually was held at Berkshire Coroner's Court sitting in Slough in November 2007. The jury decided the train driver and five passengers were unlawfully killed when Brian Drysdale, the car driver, tried to kill himself. The jury in the month-long inquest had heard how the 1735 GMT First Great Western carrying 281 people was seven miles west of Reading when it collided with the car, causing a 'catastrophic derailment'. One carriage rolled over, the buffet car was bent double and the family coach in which most of the victims were sitting slid along on its side. Mr Drysdale had been to work at the Wokefield Park Hotel near Reading on the day of the crash but left early, saying he was ill. Less than 45 minutes later, he was seen to move his car between the gates at the level crossing a few miles away. During the inquest it was revealed Mr Drysdale was awaiting the results of a HIV test when the crash happened. The results later revealed he did not have the virus. An off-duty policeman who witnessed Mr Drysdale's Mazda on the tracks told the jury that, in his opinion, it was a 'deliberate attempt' to place the vehicle in the path of the train. Pc Mark Brazier said the vehicle was moving forwards and backwards between the two gates, ignoring him flashing his lights and beeping his horn, and at no time did the driver display any sense of urgency. The inquest heard that Mr Drysdale had his seatbelt fastened and the ignition and lights off. He also had petrol in the tank, suggesting he had not broken down or run out of fuel. The British Transport Police officer leading the investigation into the crash said that if Mr Drysdale had survived, he would have pushed for his prosecution on manslaughter or potentially murder charges.
Back to Table (2001) Death of Chistopher Duffy
Christopher died after being crushed on a building site. He was involved in a ground clearance operation when several tonnes of metal shuttering fell on top of him. The inquest
was to take place at Berkshire Coroner's Court on a date yet to be set.
Back to Table (2001) Death of Colin Smith
Colin was crushed to death when he was trapped between a truck and trailer at Royal Mail’s Heathrow Worldwide Distribution Centre in Hurricane Way, Langley, near Slough. Colin, who had worked for Royal Mail for 15 years, suffered severe injuries to his head and chest and was pronounced dead on arrival at nearby Wexham Park Hospital. Andy Moorey, of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), said, 'The workers are shocked and traumatised because they are a close-knit community. Colin was a very friendly and happy chap and is sorely missed. He was walking and became trapped between a lorry cab attempting to link up with a trailer. His head and chest were severely crushed and he was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.' The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is investigating and Dave Joyce, health and safety officer of the CWU, has not ruled out taking action against Royal Mail. He said, 'This terrible tragedy comes at the end of a long list of accidents on Royal Mail premises, serious injuries and fatalities involving our members and members of the public. We are not attributing blame here but this latest accident could well end up with a prosecution of Royal Mail. Royal Mail was fined £200,000 following the death of a pensioner who was run down and killed in the yard at Bridgend. A Prohibition Notice was served on Royal Mail at Seacroft Delivery Office in Leeds over Workplace Transport safety standards following an accident when another member of the public was injured. And a member of staff was seriously injured at Middlesex Distribution Centre following a fork lift truck accident. Because of these incidents the union has called for a thorough review of yard risk assessments and workplace transport safety standards across the UK.' The inquest
took place at Berkshire Coroner's Court on a 11 September 2007 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned.
Back to Table (2001) Death of Colin Dickson
Colin, a crane installer from Scotland with Kone Cranes, was killed on a waste incinerator construction site. Kone Cranes, which is subcontracted by Takuma, the main contractor responsible for constructing the plant for Lakeside Energy from Waste. The plant is a joint venture between Viridor Waste Management and Grundon Waste Management Limited. Tom Kelly, of the GMB union, said Colin was crushed by a falling piece of steel which weighed 2.5 tonnes. The inquest
was to take place at Berkshire Coroner's Court on a date yet to be set.
Back to Table (2001) Death of Anthony Lundy
Anthony, a railway maintenance worker, was clearing up at the end of an overnight shift when an empty First Great Western train, which was heading from the Reading depot to Slough for the first service of the day, hit him at 60mph shortly before 5am. Anthony was declared dead at the scene. A spokesman for Network Rail said the worker was at Kennet Bridge, east of Reading station and about a mile from where other track workers were carrying out overnight repairs. The inquest was to take place at Berkshire Coroner's Court on a date yet to be set.
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