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Deaths in 2001
Deaths in 2001
Back to Top Deaths in 2002
FURTHER DETAILS OF DEATHS
Beatrice Westby
Beatrice, a pensioner, died after slipping on a kerbstone at Beamish Open Air Museum, a popular open air attraction. Beatrice died in the University Hospital of North Durham after sustaining a broken leg. The
inquest was held at North Durham Coroner’s Court on 27 September
2001. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned.
Anne-Marie Readshaw
Anne-Marie, a promising young athlete, was swimming at the leisure centre when she got into difficulties and drowned. The inquest was held at Darlington and South Durham Coroner’s Court on 4 July 2002. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. In December 2003 Sedgefield Borough Council was ordered by Bishop Auckland Magistrates Court to pay the maximum fine of £20,000 after it admitted failing to ensure the public's safety on the day of the incident. The council was also ordered to pay costs of £7,242. Magistrates heard that only one lifeguard was on duty when Anne-Marie. Health and Safety guidelines stated that at least two people should have been watching the pool. After the case, Anne-Marie Readshaw's family vowed to press ahead with civil action against the council. Grandmother Kath Conroy said, 'We are pleased that the maximum fine had been imposed because it shows how seriously safety should be taken. Because of the investigation into Anne-Marie's death, the council now has new, improved safety procedures in place which is the one good thing to come out of all of this.' Anne-Marie was swimming with friends when one, Sarah Cornbill, noticed her lying motionless at the bottom of the pool. Sarah dragged her to the side of the pool but all efforts to revive the youngster failed. Mrs Readshaw said, 'Nothing can make us feel better, we still need answers about why no one was watching the pool and why a little girl was the one who tried to save Anne-Marie. Her friend was a hero that day, but she shouldn't have been the one trying to save her.' Mrs Conroy added, 'We will go ahead with civil proceedings to try and get answers.'
Iain Scott Bell
Iain, an engineer, died when he fell from a roof. The
inquest was held at North Durham Coroner’s Court on 17 and 18 June
2002. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. John Crimmins and Fredrick Cook
John and Frederick who worked for a road construction company died by electrocution from a 20,000 volt blast while moving a mobile lighting platform which touched an overhead power line during road resurfacing works. The inquest was held at Darlington and South Durham Coroner’s Court at Bishop Auckland on 28 March 2003. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. John and Frederick were killed after the telescopic tower light clipped the power cable the inquest heard. The ground was sparking and small fires alight when the two workers were discovered at the base of the metal. The incident happened during roadworks on the A66, near Bowes, in County Durham, when the pair were asked to move the metal column. The inquest heard how there were no safety measures, known as goalposts, on the site, to prevent the column hitting the cables. The father of one of the dead men said after the hearing he intended to campaign for better safety. Mr Kim Crimmins said, 'Goal posts should be made law.' Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Inspector, Bruno Porter, said after the hearing, 'One of the ways of preventing equipment and plant coming into contact with overhead wires are goalposts. That is one element the HSE investigation has been looking at. It would be unfair to say that goalposts here would have prevented the tragedy, they are one measure but there are others.'
David Woodcock
David, a maintenance engineer, died of injuries after he fell off a forklift truck as he tried to repair a faulty loading bay door. The inquest was held at Darlington and South Durham Coroner’s Court at Bishop Auckland on 29 August 2003 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. David fell head first from a pallet held by the truck's forks when the door collapsed above him at Evenwood Engineering (which is owned by Eliza Tinsley plc). Company rules, tightened after an earlier accident, required staff to use a mobile hydraulic manned lift if they needed to work at height, the hearing was told. David, who led the maintenance team and was described as an experienced and competent engineer, was called to the factory when the electrically operated door had jammed open. He instructed welder Barry Coulthard to raise him up on the truck and operate the door's controls while he levered it free. Mr Coulthard said, 'I asked him if he was going to use an access platform. His words were, "No, I haven't got time for that thing". He used a piece of wood to prise the door away from the lintel. This released the door from its trappings, it went violently to the top of its stops, the tracking system shook violently and it began to collapse.' The hearing was told that the door had been damaged three to four months before the incident. In warm weather it was left open 24 hours a day, but the factory was shutting down for the summer holidays. The company's technical director, Graham Moss, said, 'There have always been procedures for working at height, but they were reinforced heavily after a previous accident.'
Brian Allinson
Brian, a worker at a chipboard factory, was found dead in a thirty foot storage silo he normally loaded. The inquest was held at Darlington and South Durham Coroner’s Court at Bishop Auckland on 7 November 2003 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. A series of potential hazards may have contributed to the Brian's death at the factory in Shildon, County Durham, the coroner was told. Brian was missing for several hours before his body was found the inquest heard. He told workmates that he intended to check the level of woodchips in the silo from a raised walkway when he was last seen at 10.45am. When he failed to return, it was assumed he had left the site, but a search was begun when it was realised his car was still in the car park and that he had not clocked out. His body was found at 2.30pm. Workmates Paul Matthews and Colin Paylor told the inquest that the observation walkway did not have a safety rail and that workers sometimes had to duck down to avoid the sloping roof and low beams. Terry Roxby, works manager at the time of the accident, said that health and safety advisor David Wild had improved safety on the site but that the accident had highlighted further risks which had been acted upon. Health and Safety Executive inspector David Bell said, 'It seemed health and safety systems were in place but that some were probably not being fully observed.' Consultant pathologist Dr Clive Bloxom initially thought Brian had died from multiple injuries but yesterday said the primary cause of death was asphyxiation due to being buried under the woodchips. He said, 'I made a site visit and the bunker was far bigger than I had anticipated, I think there would have been so much wood chipping in the bunker when he entered it he would not be able to breathe.' Dr Bloxom said that it was impossible to say whether he had hit his head before falling. Brian's family are considering taking civil action against the insurers of Vertex Panel Products, which has since ceased operating. Vertex bought the plant in February in 2002 but fell into receivership in December 2002 and went into liquidation in October 2003.
James West
James, a worker at a steel fabrication plant, was crushed to death when an overhead crane operated by an untrained colleague knocked heavy metal cubes on top of him at NEF Ltd in Darlington. The inquest was held at Darlington and South Durham Coroner’s Court on 28 March 2003 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. The engineering firm admitted at Teesside Crown Court in July 2003 to failing to ensure the safety of its staff and permitting employees to use the crane without adequate training. The court heard new employee Frederick Bone had not driven a crane for 10 years, when the vehicle hit the stack of metal, which had been piled three high. David Rowlands, prosecuting for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), told the court that most of the ten workers in the factory drove the crane without training. The Recorder of Middlesbrough, Judge Peter Fox QC, imposed a £5,000 fine for each offence with £3,804 costs. James's mother, Julie Jones said after the trial that the fine was not nearly enough. 'We were expecting it to be a lot higher - £10,000 is nothing for a 22-year-old's life. It's not a lot considering I have got a four-year-old grandson, Joseph, who has got no dad now.' She said the shock of the horrific accident would never leave her. 'He was 22. He went to work. He should have come home. I don't think I will ever get over it.' Ms Jones said lots of questions remained unanswered about NEF's conduct. 'All the safety measures are there now. They should have been there then,' she said. Dr David Shallow, an inspector for the HSE, said after the case that it was the third serious overhead crane incident in Darlington in two years. Since James's death NEF has been sold for £170,000. Joseph Ward
Joseph, a fork-lift truck driver, was crushed to death by a pallet truck at the supermarket distribution warehouse he worked in. The
inquest was to be held at North Durham Coroner’s Court.
Mark Walker
Mark, an experienced electrician, died by electrocution at offices in Durham. The inquest was held at North Durham Coroner’s Court on 28 May 2004 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. The inquest heard that Mark was called in to move a thermostat in the DSS office at Milburngate House, Durham City. Shortly after he arrived, he was electrocuted while holding the device, which was connected to the building's 240-volt supply. The hearing was told the thermostat had been removed from a partition wall the day before by one of his colleagues but the mains had not been switched off or the circuit isolated. Colleagues told North Durham coroner Andrew Tweddle that Mark had been in a rush to finish and had not been installing the thermostat in the correct position. But they said working on 'live' equipment would have been totally out of character for him. Senior contract manager Alan Cook said, 'At the time it was considered a simple job. If you're not certain about a piece of equipment, you test it.'
Nigel Peacey
Nigel was using an angle grinder to cut into a drum that probably contained highly inflammable thinner in his workshop at Priory Pine in West Auckland when the contents ignited and the workshop caught fire. Nigel suffered 98 per cent burns and died from his injuries in hospital. Nigel was able to tell a policeman what happened before he died of his injuries in Darlington Memorial Hospital the following morning. The inquest was held at Darlington and South Durham Coroner’s Court at Chester-le-Street on 23 November 2004 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. PC Mark Eglington told the hearing he interviewed Nigel in hospital and was told he had been looking for a container in which to steep wood. He found a metal drum but there was a solid substance in it and he decided to make more space by cutting into it. Station Officer Ken Dixon, of County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Brigade, said a passing retained fire officer saw a man on fire running from the side of the building - customers had been evacuated from the shop by a staff member. He stopped his car, put out the fire on Nigel's clothing and gave first aid. Mr Dixon said the evidence pointed to the explosion being caused by sparks from the grinder igniting vapour in a 25-litre drum. Wear Valley District Council environmental health officer Edward Rudman said the drum had probably contained some form of solvent, but the exact nature of the substance could not be determined because the labelling on the side was destroyed and no records could be found. He told the inquest it was possible for the drum to explode if there were sufficient fumes in it to be ignited by a spark. County Durham Coroner Andrew Tweddle directed the jury to return a verdict of 'Accidental death', saying that the facts of the incident were very clear.
Reginald Dixon Hutchinson
Reginald was killed when he fell from a ladder while repairing guttering at Carthorne Farm in Newton near Darlington. The
inquest was held at Darlington and South Durham Coroner’s
Court on 21 January 2005 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. William Wadge
William, a sub-contractor working for Crane Express, had been carrying out repairs on a crane on the South West Industrial Estate, in Peterlee, County Durham, when he fell from scaffolding. William was working on a crane around 15 feet off the ground when he fell. He sustained head injuries and was dead on arrival at the University Hospital of Hartlepool. The
inquest is to be held at North Durham Coroner’s
Court on a date yet to be set.
Andy Herd
Andy, a welder, was killed when his van exploded in Wolsingham, a County Durham market town. Andy was driving his red Ford Transit box-van through the when gas cylinders in the back ignited. The huge blast on Saturday damaged buildings across the town centre. The explosion happened shortly after Andy stopped at a shop on the town's Front Street. No-one else was hurt in the blast but the explosion caused widespread damage to both residential and commercial properties around the market place. Some of the wreckage from the van landed 200 yards away in a local church and other fragments blew out a shop window. The inquest was held at Darlington and South Durham Coroner’s Court on 23 October 2007 when the jury returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death'. The inquest revealed that Andy ’s employer, Ward Brother’s Plant Hire, in Langley Moor, Durham City, had not modified the van to the recommended level. The British Compressed Gases Association (BCGA) suggests that an enclosed van carrying a gas such as acetylene should have the equivalent of two per cent of its floorspace as ventilation. Andy's van only had ten per cent of the ventilation required for a vehicle of that size. Since the incident, Ward Brothers has modified three of the company’s vehicles to meet the standards set by the BCGA. Joseph O’Brien, acting on behalf of Andy's widow, also told jurors at yesterday’s inquest that Ward Brothers had not carried out the necessary risk assessments in relation to the Health and Safety Act. After the inquest, another of Mrs Herd’s representatives, John Brown, said, 'The failure exposed Mr Herd to dangers which, for the sake of a few pounds, could have been avoided. Mr Herd’s family wait for a decision from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as to whether or not Ward Brothers will face criminal proceedings. 'Mrs Herd will be instituting civil proceedings against Ward Brothers Ltd on behalf of not only herself, but also her daughter, and Mrs Herd wishes to thank everyone for their kindness and sympathy.' Mr Tweddle told jurors, 'It is often as a result of the inquiry that improvements to systems are carried out and lessons can be learned. The evidence you have heard has revealed certain issues that we are now more aware of. It is beyond belief that we are talking here about the death of just one person, and if it was in Darlington high street, we could have been talking about 200 deaths, a massive inquiry and public outcry.' Mr Tweddle has vowed to follow up the inquest with his own action, by writing to the relevant authorities to urge them to educate companies about the dangers of transporting dangerous gas. There is a lack of guidance as to how these dangerous substances should be transported and stored,' he said. Richard Bulmer, head of the HSE’s North-East investigation team, said, 'We put out an alert last year following this tragic death stating that acetylene bottles are best carried in open-topped vehicles; if an enclosed vehicle is used it should have adequate ventilation. Melony Ridgeway-Buckley, HM Inspector of Health and Safety, has conducted her own Health and Safety at Work investigation and has been assisting the coroner at this inquest. She will now finalise her report in the light of the inquest and we will then be considering whether or not health and safety charges should be laid.' Stuart Ward, managing director of Ward Brothers Plant Hire, appeared at yesterday’s inquest but declined to answer most of the questions put to him. Rule 22 of the Coroner’s Rules states that witnesses have the right to decline to answer questions if they believe it may incriminate them in a future court case.
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