Coach firm fined over death

A Devon coach firm has been fined £50,000 after an employee was crushed by a 6.4 tonne vehicle he was inspecting.

Duchy Travel Ltd, which traded in Newton Abbot, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive following the death of Craig Potter, 26, in August 2002.

The company, was also ordered to pay £25,000 costs on Friday, but the money is unlikely to be paid because the firm has gone into liquidation with a deficiency of £463,000.

The firm pleaded guilty at Exeter Crown Court to a charge of failing to ensure the health and safety at work of an employee.

This was a terrible tragedy which might have been avoided David Evans

Prosecutor Ian Dixey said Mr Potter, from Drake Road, Newton Abbot, suffered his fatal injuries 11 days after starting to work for the company.

He was examining the underneath of a single decker coach which had been raised on a hoist.

Another employee later discovered him trapped in a standing position under the coach which had slipped off the rear of the ramp.

Mr Dixey said: "His head was trapped between the bottom of the coach and a cross member. Death would have been almost instantaneous."

The prosecutor said Mr Potter was a driver who was an unqualified mechanic, and who had been allowed to work underneath the coach without supervision, or checks to see whether he had the competence to carry out the task.

David Evans, defending, said the firm failed to properly instruct or supervise Mr Potter, who "should not have been left to do this on his own".

He said: "This was a terrible tragedy which might have been avoided without this breach of regulations."

Tragic case

Judge Jeremy Griggs said the precise circumstances of the accident were unclear.

But "in one way or another" the coach on which he was working had its rear offside wheel supported by a jack, which did not bear the weight of the vehicle.

"It may well be he realised something had gone wrong, and attempted to deal with the situation, resulting in his head being crushed," said the judge.

Outside court, Health and Safety Inspector Tim Wake said what had happened was a "tragic case".

He said it illustrated the importance of the instruction and supervision of employees.