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Deaths in 2001
Deaths in 2001
Back to Top Deaths in 2002
No details of deaths available Click on the names below for further case details
Click on the names below for further case details
Click on the names below for further case details
Click on the names below for further case details
Click on the names below for further case details
FURTHER DETAILS OF DEATHS Sally Jamieson and Maggie Doel
Sally,
a customer at Aitchisons estate agents, and Maggie, a sales director at the firm, were killed when a runaway lorry crashed
into the shop. The inquest heard how the lorry brakes were later found to be defective. In a statement read out by PC Gerald Byrne, of Thames Valley Police, Mr Fahey the lorry driver, who was in court, recalled the moments immediately before the crash. Mr Fahey said, 'I pressed the brakes nothing there; released it again still nothing there. The pedal went right to the floor so I reached for the handbrake and pulled the handbrake on and nothing whatsoever happened and the lorry is gradually picking up speed now.' In the statement given to police in the aftermath of the incident, Mr Fahey told how he started sounding his horn and flashing his lights as the HGV careered out of control down the steep hill. The lorry smashed into a BMW before reaching the junction between Crendon Street and Easton Street where it failed to negotiate the bend ploughing into Aitchisons. Mr Fahey explained his reaction as the lorry finally came to rest, 'I knew exactly where I was, I knew I was in a shop and I knew I had caused a lot of carnage.' Mr Fahey told police that he was in fourth gear out of 12 as he came down the hill, but James Paterson, an accident analyst working for Thames Valley Police, told the court that the lorry had been found to be in eighth gear when it was examined after the smash. He added the brakes on the vehicle had been found to be poorly adjusted, and were too inefficient to bring it to a halt. Recording the verdict, Buckinghamshire Coroner Richard Hulett said, 'The brakes were defective in a number of serious respects.' He added that a verdict of accidental death did not mean there was no blame to be attached, but it was the only verdict available to a coroner's court in this case. Three people, including Mr Fahey, were reported for allegedly exceeding the weight limit for a lorry of that type and using a vehicle with defective brakes. They were due to appear in court later in 2002.
Francis McKenna
Francis was working reconditioning a forklift truck,
as a hobby, when he fell and
sustained head injuries and subsequently had a heart attack to which
he succumbed. Forester
Mr Forester a company owner, responded to a call from one of his workers reporting the breakdown of a company van on the M40 motorway at Junction 2 near Beaconsfield. While working under the van in an attempt to repair it, the van moved and crushed Mr Forester to death. There was no need for an inquest jury according to the Health and Safety Executive who said there was no-one to prosecute. Ross Tompkins
Ross,
a fabrication welder at waste disposal vehicles firm MCV Ltd, was working
underneath the hydraulic arms on a lorry when the locks holding them upright
gave way and the arm crashed down on him. Ross died of massive head injuries
at the scene. The inquest heard that Ross had been working with a colleague assembling a hookloader, a hydraulic pincer-like arm that loads skips onto lorries. The night before they noticed an oil leak. The next day Ross climbed onto the chassis under the arm to find out where it was coming from. His colleague Richard Martin, who was in the cab, said, 'He leaned underneath it, on his hands and knees. I heard a big bang and the whole lot broke away and came down on top of him.' Dr Anthony Wray, a principal scientist of the Health and Safety Executive, said an oil leak had stopped the lock from working properly causing the incident. the inquest heard the incident could have been avoided if supports had been kept underneath the arm to stop it falling. MCV has since used supports and given better training to staff. The Coroner Rodney corner told the jury, 'No person could possible have survived what happened. A catastrophic failure of the hookloader resulted in Ross Tompkins being killed. It shouldn't be able to happen again in this way.' MCV were found guilty of breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and fined £20,000 with £11,844.05 costs at Aylesbury Crown Court in August 2003. Judge Crawford QC commented on what in his view amounted to a slipshod application of the principles of engineering management in that simple precautions were not taken as they should have been. The company has since invested heavily in remedial action. Simon Mackrill
Simon, a mechanic, was called to the Milton Keynes Coachway to fix
the suspension on a National Express coach. Simon disconnected an
air pipe to the suspension resulting in the coach collapsing on his chest. Firefighters used powerful air bags to lift the coach off Simon but he was pronounced dead
at hospital. Neil Edmunds
Neil, a rail construction worker, was run over by a train as he kept
watch for a maintenance team working on the tracks near Ledburn Junction. Giving evidence at the inquest in Amersham Craig Davies, Neil's work colleague and friend from childhood, said, 'Neil was assigned as usual as a lookout who was responsible for making sure we crossed over the tracks safely. I asked him whether it was safe to cross over and he said yes, but then I saw a train coming and I doubled back. 'I noticed Neil who was facing opposite me and I shouted, "You are too close. You are definitely too close". He acknowledged the train and I turned my back and I heard the train sounding its horn. I looked around and Neil was still standing there. I remember just staring at him and the next thing I knew he had been hit.' Neil was struck by the 10.02pm Birmingham-Euston Silverlink service, travelling at 90mph. The impact of the collision was so severe that Neil's body was tossed into temporary scaffolding at the side of the track. The other members of the Balfour Beatty maintenance team, who were from South Wales but working in Buckinghamshire, ran over to him but it was obvious that he had been killed instantly.
Schownavaz Devon
Schownavaz, died from injuries on 29 August 2002 after being hit by a lorry while carrying out maintenance work on the M40 motorway. The inquest was held at Buckinghamshire Coroner’s
Court on 27 March 2003 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. David Ives
David, who was working for Onyx Environmental Group, was stood underneath the lift of a waste disposal truck when a large plastic bin fell from the lift onto his head fracturing his skull. An industrial waste bin had been loaded on to a grab at the rear of the truck and lifted 10 feet off the ground when it slipped from the mechanism and fell on top of David The inquest was told that David had his back to the lorry and was unable to scramble clear, even though a colleague shouted to him to move.
Lucian Vuta
Lucian, a Romanian, was fatally injured after falling eight metres through a fragile roof light at a warehouse in Olney, Buckinghamshire, during redecoration of the building. Lucian was working on the asbestos cement roof of a warehouse in order to paint the external cladding at roof level. On leaving the roof he inadvertently stood on a fragile roof light which fractured causing him to fall to the concrete floor below. Lucian had been on a flat asbestos roof, using a ladder to paint a pitched roof above, and was making his way down for lunch. He had been given six scaffold planks to use in a leapfrog system – but he and colleague, Marian Dode, only used one and a pallet to support the ladder. In September 2006 Mr McCarthy was fined £16,000 and ordered to pay £12,153.10 in costs at Milton Keynes Magistrates Court for breaches of Health and Safety regulations. Speaking after the case the HSE investigating inspector Trevor Tollervey said, ' Falling from a height continues to be the most common type of workplace injury accounting for 22% of all fatal injuries to workers in 2005/06 and falls through fragile roofs and roof lights have long been the biggest single cause of deaths due to falls from height.' He added, 'This tragic death should be taken as a wake up call to all involved in building repair and maintenance work. I therefore urge all contractors and building owners to check that adequate precautions are being taken to prevent falls through fragile roofs and roof lights.'
Neil Patmore
Neil, an employee with Euro Underpinning, was working with a colleague at Rutherford Road, Aylesbury, putting in the foundations for a new garage when the power supply failed to work. When Neil went to check what had happened he was electrocuted. According to the verdict Neil was stripping the live wire of the power source he had previously been using and which had stopped working. The wiring of the fuse spur, from which the power was connected, was such that it bypassed the fuse and therefore remained live after the fuse had been removed.
Simon Cowan
Simon was working cutting down rolls of paper, at the Avery Dennison site in Brinklow, to sell on to printers when polystyrene wedges designed to hold the roll in place had been crushed, allowing the roll to fall. The incident happened when Simon's colleague transported a new metre wide 1.3 tonne roll to load into the cutting machine. It rolled off the pallet and crushed Simon who was facing the machine and reaching up at the time. Simon collapsed but remained conscious and spoke to colleagues while waiting for the ambulance. Simon was taken to hospital but died three hours later. The post mortem gave the case of death as intra-abdominal haemorrhaging resulting from a rupture of the liver. The inquest was held at Milton Keynes Coroner's Court on 4 April 2006 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. The inquest jury heard that the roll had come from the company's plant in Luxembourg on its side - they usually come upright, like a column, and are put on their side at the Brinklow site. The wedges are used to move the rolls around the factory and were deemed strong enough, but Mrs Messer, a company manager, said the wedges must have been damaged in transport. 'They had packaged the roll and sent it to us like that, it was unusual.' Mrs Messer said the procedure had been changed in the factory and any banding around a roll is only removed when it is secured in the cutting machine.
Krzysztof Begier
Krzysztof died while clearing earth from beside a wall which collapsed on him. Krzysztof was part of a team of Polish labourers working on a row of semi-detached houses in High Wycombe. Two fire crews used sledge hammers and crow bars to break through the rubble and a pneumatic airbag to raise the concrete and pull Krzysztof through. He was rushed to Wycombe Hospital but later died of his injuries with his family at his bedside. The inquest was held at Buckinghamshire Coroner's Court on 29 November 2006 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. John Robinson
John, a construction worker, died after 15 floors of scaffolding collapsed at the site of a new Jurys Inn Hotel at Milton Keynes's Witan Gate on 11 April 2006. John's son Mark who was also working at the site was seriously injured in the incident. John suffered broken ribs and cuts to a leg. His condition appeared to be improving but, during a physiotherapy session on 14 April, he suffered a heart attack caused by a blood clot, which experts say was triggered by the fall. The inquest was held at Milton Keynes Coroner's Court from 1 to 18 January 2008. A narrative verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. In his summing-up Rodney Corner listed those factors, while not necessarily causes of the collapse, which were identified by safety experts: the scaffolding was wider than it should have been, facade bracing was missing, poles were too far apart, more than two tonnes of unused scaffold was placed on it when the design was not for bearing loads and the structure should have been inspected every seven days. The wind was not a primary cause but vibration and men working on it were considered as contributory factors he said. The jury concluded, 'We are returning a narrative verdict of accidental death. "The deceased by occupation was a tile cladder. On 11 April 2006 he was working on the west elevation of the Jury's Inn hotel Milton Keynes which was in the course of construction. During the morning of 11 April 2006 he and others were fixing tiles to the west elevation. At about 12.30pm on that day the scaffolding upon which he was working started to collapse. He fell with the scaffolding towards the ground. Emergency services were called and he was found to have injuries. He was taken to hospital and died three days later. No one cause can be identified as the reason for the collapse but there were several factors which contributed to it which were not recognised at the time." After the inquest Mr Robinson's wife and son said, 'We understand the limits of what a verdict at an inquest can say, but believe that in giving a narrative verdict referring to the many factors which contributed to the collapse the jury have found that there were many failures and defects at the Jury's Inn site and scaffold. 'As a family we can hardly believe the scale of the evidence that the inquest revealed, and we can only hope that lessons have been learned which will mean that no other family has to suffer in the way we have.' The Health and Safety Executive indicated after the inquest that its investigation was ongoing and would identify whether prosecutions could be brought. Main contractor McAleer and Rushe expressed their condolences and said, 'McAleer and Rushe had appointed what it believed was a highly competent scaffolding contractor to carry out the work, but since the accident McAleer and Rushe has revised its procedure and has appointed its own scaffolding expert to oversee the design, construction and inspections of scaffolding across all of its construction sites. We have learned from it and we hope that such a tragedy will never occur again on a UK building site.'
Hugh Dow
Hugh died from massive head injuries when a miniature train he was maintaining went under a bridge. Hugh was working in an area not open to the public. The inquest heard that Hugh was working in an area not open to the public when the incident happened. He had stopped the train after noting there was a faulty door. He fixed it and gave the driver the thumbs up to move on. Hugh suffered severe skull and brain injuries as he was dragged through the 10ft-long tunnel. Pathologist Dr Sam Jalloh said Hugh had suffered massive injuries and would have died instantly. Gulliver's Land director Duncan Phillips said that it was not part of Hugh's job to ride on the coupling. He said that since Hugh's death policy had been written down and warning notices had been placed on the coupling bars. Health and Safety Inspector Matthew Lee said after the hearing that a report into the incident would be finished by early 2007 when a decision would be made on any prosecutions against the company under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
Peter Prunic
Peter was killed when he was run over by heavy machinery at the Hampden Hall development in Aylesbury. Peter suffered severe head and chest injuries in the collision. The inquest was held at at Buckinghamshire Coroner's Court on 21 June 2007 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. The inquest heard how the 10 and a half tonne telehandler, which was used to transport materials around the site, struck Peter as it was reversing. Its driver, Anthony Barker, told the inquest, 'I picked up a skip and started reversing back. I heard a bang but I thought it was the skip. I looked around and nobody was there but as I was coming round I looked up and saw a man lying on the road. I couldn't believe where he had come from.' He added, 'I had the bleepers on, which are as loud as hell, and the beacon was also on.' The jury heard that telehandlers are known for not having good visibility but as yet no regulations for them. Following the fatal incident the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) renewed a call for construction contractors to use mobile plant with caution. The HSE warned that contractors should take care when using this type of equipment on site. Principal investigator for Buckinghamshire, Philip Poynter, said, 'This tragic incident should alert all contractors to the inherent hazards involved in using mobile plant.'
Brian Black
Brian was found by his wife slumped over a drum of chemicals, having being overwhelmed by toxic fumes at his furniture stripping workshop in Kitchener Road, High Wycombe. Brian had been stripping a stall and a door in the drum which was full of the volatile chemical dichloromethane. The chemical dichloromethane is used to strip lacquer and paint but the inquest heard that the fans at the workshop, used to Robert Daunton, specialist inspector for the Health and Safety Executive, said the concentration of fumes near the drum would have been high enough as it was.He said, 'If the fans are not switched on and you are leaning into the tank, the concentrations are such that it will tend to make you unconscious and if you collapse you are going to end up even closer Mr Daunton said he believed once furniture was taken out, it was scrubbed down on top of the drum itself - meaning that workers remained dangerously close to the fumes. This procedure was later confirmed by Richard Torrome, who often worked for Brian at the workshop. He told the court, 'Generally they (the furniture) were worked at on top of the tank." Mr Daunton branded this as 'poor practice' as the area of the bath could have been saturated with poisonous fumes. Mr Torrome however, insisted the fans had been switched on all day on October 26 2006. He said, 'I can't ever recall him working with these fans switched off.' The HSE defended its findings after the inquest and added Brian had improved his working practices after site visits in 1991,1993 and 1994, regarding exposure to dichloromethane. Dr Sharon Eagan, for the HSE, said, 'No one will know the precise circumstances which lead to Mr Black's death, but the HSE investigation ruled out faults in the electrical system of the fans at the solvent tank at the site. Exceptionally, as they were reportedly always kept on throughout the working day, it seems that on this occasion the fans were switched
Keith Nappin
Keith was crushed when the forklift he was driving turned over. The inquest was held at Buckinghamshire Coroner's Court on 6 February 2008 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Lynda Trebilcock
Lynda, cleaner, died from severe head injuries while working on industrial machinery at Delico meat processing factory at 3.00am. Bernard Hoggarth, Delico chief executive, said that the machine was not a slicer, that it did not have blades and there were no exposed parts. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) sent two investigators and an electrical expert to the scene. DeliCo opened in Milton Keynes in 2000 and was bought by Hull-based sausage makers Cranswick in November 2006. The inquest was to be held at MIlton Keynes Coroner's Court
on 1 and 2 December 2008.
Gyosei Handa
Gyosei, a Buddhist monk who was cutting the grass near the Willen Peace Pagoda, died after he fell under a mower attached to a runaway tractor. The inquest was held at Milton Keynes Coroner's Court
on 22 February 2008 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' (due to multiple injuries caused by being trapped beneath mowing equipment) was returned. Witness Venita Slater told the court she saw Rev Handa on the slope chasing the tractor but moments after he disappeared. She called for help but could only see Rev Handa's head protruding from under the mower, the engine of the tractor still running. Emergency services quickly arrived and soon after Rev Handa was confirmed dead. The equipment was later examined by mechanical engineer Taran Hewitt. Speaking on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) he told the court both the tractor's handbrake and the foot brakes were faulty and could only be operated by a person sitting in the cab, adding, 'If I was an inspector of tractors I would have said this one should not have been used for work.' Mr Hewitt also told the court the only way the tractor could remain still was if the engine was switched off and left in gear. He also described the mower as having a wider wheel base than the tractor. His friend Samantha James told the court he had lost three of his fingers in a previous mowing accident. Coroner Rodney Corner said how Rev Handa died was not wholly clear. For some reason he got out of the cab and almost certainly was trying to get back in to stop the tractor but the grass was wet and he probably slipped and fell under the moving mower.
Sam James
Sam, a plasterer, was found by workmates at a new build site at Eton Place, Marlow. A petrol-powered generator was running nearby in the house. Colleagues attempted CPR to revive Sam but he was pronounced dead on arrival at Wycombe Hospital. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said that the contracting chains, responsibility for the site and employment details all form part of the investigation. The inquest is to be held at Buckinghamshire Coroner's Court
on a date yet to be set.
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