Inquest opens into gantry deaths

The men fell 80ft to their deaths

An inquest into the deaths of four workers who fell 80ft from a motorway bridge opened on Monday.

The men died when a gantry beneath the Avonmouth Bridge near Bristol came off its rails in high winds on 8 September 1999.

They were Ronnie Hill, 39, from Glasgow, Jeff Williams, 42, from Newport, Paul Stewart, 24, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Andy Rodgers, 40, from Middlesbrough.

Paul Forrest, the coroner for the county of Avon, initially decided not to hold an inquest, but Mr Stewart's father took legal action to force one to take place.

Strengthening work

The hearing, at the Guildhall in Bristol, is expected to last seven days.

On Monday morning, health and safety investigator Roger Jones explained to the jury how the gantry system worked on the M5 bridge.

He told them that one end of the gantry platform had become detached and the men fell to the ground below, suffering fatal injuries.

Mr Rogers told the inquest strengthening work had started on the bridge in 1995 and work was under way to install new maintenance gantries.

He showed the jury a video of photographs and computer simulation to demonstrate how the gantry system worked.

Guilty plea

In April this year, the four men's families were awarded £1.3m compensation.

In November 2001, Yarm Road Ltd, formerly known as Kvaerner Cleveland Bridge Ltd, and Costain Ltd, were ordered to pay more than £1m after pleading guilty to health and safety offences in connection with the accident.

The court heard the gantry the men were working on had not been properly attached to the bridge.

They had been trying to move it when one of its runners came loose, throwing them into a car compound below.