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Deaths
in 2001
Deaths in 2001 Deaths in 2002 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
Dean Thomas
Dean, an operator, was killed when caught in machinery at the at the former JR Crompton paper mill in Lydney where he worked. Dean was re-setting a machine which rolls paper, when an untrained co-worker pressed the wrong button, causing an hydraulic table to close on him. The inquest was held at Gloucester Coroner’s Court on 22 January 2002. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Investigations into Dean's death by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) uncovered 'crucial failings' in risk assessment, The company has since gone into administration and been bought by a firm unconnected with the death. After a court case, in which the former owners were fined £200, the HSE said many safety issues had been overlooked. The HSE said the company had not carried out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks of using the machine. Inspectors also found home-made tools which workers used to reset the machine when they were inside it, a practice done with the full knowledge of the management. 'Given the frequency of access, the company should have realised that they were putting their staff in danger and altered the machine to prevent it working if anyone remained inside the enclosure,' the HSE said. At the court hearing, the judge told the former owners the fine would have been £250,000 had they still been in business. Dean's widow Nicola Thomas said she was pleased that the trial had taken place and said that she had hoped for a fine of more that £25,000 (even though she knew the fine would never be paid because the firm was in administration), 'in order to set a precedent - to send out a message to other firms that it doesn't pay to cut corners on health and safety'.
David Moore
David, a diver, died within seconds under tons of water while carrying out maintenance work under the Upper Lode lock gate near Tewkesbury. The inquest was held at Gloucester Coroner’s Court on 22 January 2002. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned with a narrative explanation. The inquest heard how David was crushed after a dam burst. He was part of a maintenance team draining the lock, leaving the walls and floor exposed. The lock was being drained to allow the installation of temporary dams David was in a team of four and had volunteered for the dive that proved fatal. While fixing leaks along the bottom of a temporary dam, David stopped breathing and was trapped under the water. He died from crushing caused by the pressure of the water - equivalent to six or seven people standing on top of him. Leaks between the temporary dam and the lock floor were to be sealed by a hessian sausage, explained to the jury by British Waterway maintenance supervisor Richard Rowles. Mr Rowles said the seal was created with oakham (untwisted rope fibres saturated in an oily substance) and was then enclosed in a 'hessian sausage'. As the outer dam came to the floor of the lock, the seal would mould itself to the floor. This was a system that had been 'tried and tested for 40 years' according to many of the witnesses. John Talbot, a qualified engineer with more than 50 years' experience, was critical of the hessian seal method used. 'Hessian is not a very strong material,' Mr Talbot said. 'The method of attaching it was by flathead nails at intervals, quite far apart. This, in my mind, is not very secure. When secured at intervals it could tear between the nails and open the way for water to get in.' There were leaks spotted on the morning of David's death but Mr Rowles and Mr Byrne told the inquest they had not thought there to be a risk of death to the divers on that morning. Robert Sullivan, a diver of more than 30 years' experience who was working onsite as a tender, said, 'If (the leaks) had been worse then I'm sure we just would not have gone,' he said. 'We would not have done it.' After workers knew David was in trouble, they tried to close the lock gates but were prevented from doing so, firstly by fencing which had to be removed and secondly by a pump which became stuck in the gates. Andrew Spratley, working for British Waterways, said the workers knew they needed to get water into the lock to relieve the pressure differential between the two parts of the dam. The standby diver, Alex Georgiou, told the inquest he wanted to get into the water to try and save David but the diving supervisor, Christopher Drake, prevented him from doing so because it was not deemed safe. After about 13 minutes, however, Mr Georgiou did get into the water and emerged with David's body. The inquest had been told by pathologist Derek James that David's brain showed signs of widespread hypoxic brain damage, or oxygen starvation, as a result of 'significant crush injury'. Alick Moore, David's father, asked Dr James if his son might have survived had it taken only five minutes to reach him - instead of 15 minutes. There was a long silence before Dr James answered, saying, 'That's a very difficult question. There are people who survive neurologically intact after long periods in the water, usually children but sometimes young adults. Someone in a normal temperature stopped from having oxygen supply to the brain is going to lose consciousness in three to 11 seconds. 15 seconds later, hypoxic fitting starts. People subject to that and one minute of hypoxia can survive intact but after that there is an increased possibility of neurological damage. Usually by about five minutes few will survive.' Dr James said the post mortem found 'pinpoint haemorrhages'. These appeared as 'red speckles', he said, and were found on various parts of David's body, including his chest, arms and legs. 'One way the brain could be starved of oxygen could be drowning but the pinpoint haemorrhages are typical of a crush injury,' he said. 'If there is great pressure on the chest, the pressure inside the chest goes up suddenly and, once that happens, you will lose consciousness in a matter of seconds." Dr James agreed the pressure on David could have been from a non-structural force and that the findings were consistent with David being sucked against the dam face. Alick Moore, commenting after the verdict, said the proceedings had been 'pointless.' Mr Moore described the family's emotions as being 'utterly disappointed and disillusioned'. 'We have learned from this experience that the legal system and inquests in particular are unconcerned about the feelings and priorities of the bereaved family,' he said. 'Any pretence that victims are at the heart of the legal system in this country is a misconception of the facts. 'As far as we're concerned the inquest has been a pointless exercise which in the end provides no useful conclusion and no satisfaction to the bereaved family, while at the same time forcing us through a harrowing and sometimes humiliating form of inquisition, to relive events of the utmost distress and grief.' In early 2009 the Health and Safety Executive were still reviewing the case in order to make a decision about any possible prosecutions.
Lance Taylor
Lance, a building worker, died in an incident in a mini-digger. He was leaning out of the front window of the digger when he nudged a lever, which jolted the machine's arm, or boom, backwards hitting his head and causing fatal injuries. The inquest was held at Gloucester Coroner’s Court on 30 October 2007 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Lance had been using a dumper truck to transport topsoil around on the site. He was killed while he was in one of the mini-diggers which were being used on site and which he was not qualified to operate, the inquest was told. Lance, like many of his fellow workers at Macob South West Ltd, did not have the qualifications to operate all the machinery on the site, the hearing was told. He had leaned out of the digger's cab window to throw some keys to a colleague when the digger arm suddenly came back and crushed him. Adrian Griffiths, a groundworker who was working in a team with Lance and a third man said he (Griffiths) had no qualifications or tickets to operate any of the plant equipment. John Moutrie, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector, said his investigations revealed that the digger arm was near the top of the cab at the time of the incident - rather than with the bucket resting on the ground - which meant it would travel very quickly if operated. The inspector said that when Lance leaned through the front window with the keys, he made contact with the operating lever and the boom moved back very quickly. Pathologist Dr Jeremy Uff, who carried out a post mortem examination, said Lance had died of a severe head injury and that death was "almost instantaneous". The jury added to their verdict that Lancer had been operating a mini digger and there was evidence that the keys were readily available to all workers - not dependent on qualifications. He was leaning out of the window, when the bucket arm came backwards and trapped him, they said.
Daniel Brookman
Daniel died in a quad bike accident at Princess Anne's home in Gatcombe Park. He had been helping out at the Gloucestershire estate during the Festival of British Eventing, part organised by Equiland. Daniel was a passenger in the bike, which overturned and crushed him. The inquest was held at Gloucester Coroner’s Court on 30 October 2007 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. The Coroner Alan Crickmore recorded the verdict after saying the evidence was not consistent enough for him to record a verdict of unlawful killing. Witnesses told the hearing the quad bike driver, Nicholas Pearce, had been performing 'reckless' and dangerous' stunts, including doughnut turns, on a Yamaha Rhino quad bike at the Gatcombe estate when it overturned on a sloping field. Daniel suffered severe chest injuries when the powerful bike rolled over him. The 660cc vehicle, which has a top speed of 39 mph, had landed on Daniel's chest, causing massive injuries. The inquest heard the Queen's grandson Peter Phillips had been trying out similar doughnut moves just minutes before. After the hearing Jon Brookman, Daniel's father, said, 'It was the verdict I expected. But I do believe that whoever carries out doughnuts and harsh turns as was described during the inquest has performed acts of dangerous driving. I still do believe it was an unnecessary death through what I consider to be some dangerous and irresponsible treatment of the vehicle by everyone who was using it that day.' Captain Mark Philips's firm Equiland and two of its directors, Timothy Clayton and Timothy Henson, were charged with failing to discharge a duty following the death of Chippenham teenager Daniel Brookman. The charge related to the company's staff training policy for using all terrain vehicles commonly known as quad bikes. In May 2008 the judge at Bristol Crown Court found the prosecution to be unfair and that there should be no trial. Nicholas Pearce has already appeared before magistrates in Gloucester where he pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention. He was fined £200. Daniel's family said they were disappointed at Pearce's sentence. They said they knew he would have to live with the fact that his friend had died but that they wanted him to remember that he also took away their beloved son.
Robert Sellick
Robert died after becoming trapped underneath a concrete slab while working constructing a slurry channel at Oakey Farm. He was pronounced dead at the scene in Moreton Valence. The 5 sq metes concrete slab was one of the sides of the cow shed. Robert was released by colleagues but attempts to revive him failed. A second man, who was also trapped by the slab, was taken to hospital for treatment to a suspected broken arm. The inquest was held at Gloucester Coroner’s Court on 30 October 2007 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned.
Neal Tyler
Neal, a landscape gardener, was crushed to death by a 40ft willow tree. was not wearing a helmet at the time and used the wrong technique to fell the tree, the court was told last Wednesday. Neal died hours later despite the efforts of paramedics. The inquest was held at Cheltenham and Cotswolds Coroner’s Court on 4 October 2006 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Robert Sutton, a handyman, was clearing trees at a field in Stanton with Neal, who was known as `Yorkie'. Mr Sutton told the Gloucester inquest that it was his job to clear up rubbish. 'I started work at 8.30am and Yorkie arrived later on at about 9am,' he said. 'He was using petrol chainsaws. He had all the gear but didn't put his helmet on. I said, "Yorkie, don't forget to put it on." But he said he wasn't going to put it on because he wanted to hear the crack so he could get out of the way. 'He positioned himself and started the chainsaw up. He cut a little beak in the front, then he went around the back to cut the tree down from the other side. He started to cut. He got about four inches in when I heard an almighty crack. I shouted, "Yorkie, it's going."' Mr Sutton added within a `split-second' it `see-sawed' up and `then came back down again. It landed on his legs. I hadn't expected the tree to behave like that,' he added. 'He had done exactly the same with lots of other trees. I ran over to him and could see he was lying face down with his leg trapped underneath. I couldn't understand what he was saying.' Mr Sutton asked two passing horseriders for help and paramedics were called to the scene. Pathologist Dr Keith MCarthy said Neal died of multiple injuries including a skull fracture, multiple fractures to the ribs and a broken spine and pelvis.
Gareth Davies
Gareth was hit as he worked his recycling round on the A417, near Redmarley, on 23 May 2006. He was airlifted to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol, but died the following day. The inquest was held at Gloucester Coroner’s Court on 8 July 2007 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Gareth's father Mike said of Gareth, 'He always carried a donor card and more recently he wore a tee-shirt advertising it as well because he always said they needed all the donors they can get. The fact his organs will be used to help others is the one good thing to come out of this.'
Clifford Minchin
Clifford died after being crushed by a faulty apple harvesting machine which reversed into him. He suffered massive internal injuries when the machine pinned him against another vehicle at the agricultural machinery firm where he worked. The inquest was held at Gloucester Coroner’s Court on 2 November 2007 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. The reverse pedal of the harvesting machine had stuck and it kept going backwards into Clifford who later died in hospital from internal bleeding. Christopher Lenczuk, a colleague who was driving the Pattenden Grouse Apple Harvester, described to the Gloucester inquest how he had been manoeuvring the vehicle into the workshop at Bavenhill Mechanics Ltd when the accident happened. He said he had taken his foot off the reverse pedal but it stuck and continued to travel backwards - a fault which has subsequently been rectified on all machines, the inquest heard. Mr Lenczuk, an agricultural engineer, who also worked at Bavenhill, said Clifford was standing behind a Volvo lorry in the yard outside the workshop when he was driving the apple harvester. 'I took my foot off the reverse controller and she carried on backwards,'he said. Coroner Alan Crickmore asked him what he did when he realised the harvester was still going backwards. Adrian Spangers, a design engineer, who works at nearby Pattenden, said he went to see what had happened. 'Mr Minchin was lying on the ground between the two vehicles. He was covered by a coat. He was conscious but not coherent.' Ron Jervis, of the Health and Safety Executive, said tests carried out the day after the accident showed that a mechanism had stuck leading to the vehicle jamming in reverse. He said that all the company's machines had since been altered so that there would be no repetition of the accident.
Barry Wood
Barry, a long-serving maintenance engineer at vending machine manufacturer Autonium in Tetbury, died in an incident while working in the factory. The inquest was held at Cheltenham and Cotswolds Coroner’s Court on 2 November 2007 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Krystof Wiecek
Krysztof, a Polish contractor, was electrocuted while taking down a marquee at Sudeley Castle. He was dismantling a tent used for an event at the weekend when a pole touched an overhead power cable. Two men, aged 51 and 29 and from Kent, were held on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence. They were released on bail until July 2007 pending further inquiries. The inquest
will be held at Cheltenham and Cotswolds Coroner’s Court on a date yet to be set.
Anthony Cripps
Anthony, known as Tony, was killed in an incident involving a JCB digger at a farm owned by JCB chairman Sir Anthony Bamford. Tony was riding in the bucket of the digger at New Farm, near Kingham, when he fell out and was run over by the machine. He was pronounced dead at the scene from head and chest injuries. He had worked at the farm for three months. The driver of the JCB, a 22-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and released on police bail. The inquest will be held at Cheltenham and Cotswolds Coroner’s Court on a date yet to be set.
Bramwell and Chris Lane
Bramwell and his son Chris were found dead in July at Tewkesbury Rugby Club during the floods which badly affected the area. It is thought they were overcome by fumes from a petrol pump as they worked through the night to clear a flooded cellar so the club could reopen. Employment details of Bramwell and Chris formed part of the investigation. The inquest will be held at Cheltenham and Cotswolds Coroner’s Court on a date yet to be set.
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