A 27-year-old mechanic, Daniel Burton, was fatally crushed while working on his Audi A3 at a house on Southall Avenue, Skewen. An inquest at Swansea’s Guildhall heard that Mr Burton, a dad-of-two, was found trapped under the vehicle after the axle stand he was using slipped. Despite efforts from neighbours and emergency services, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mr Burton, who worked at K&J Motors in Pencoed and was a week away from qualifying as an MoT tester, was described as being passionate about cars. On the evening of his death, 22nd January, he was keen to begin repairs on his car after getting a part he needed. The vehicle was raised on one side, with its rear wheels removed.
The incident was discovered by a woman driving past. She saw Mr Burton under the car, motionless, and raised the alarm. Neighbours attempted to lift the car with a jack, but it was too late. An investigation by police found no suspicious circumstances. An examination of the scene revealed a jack and one axle stand on its side, with a second stand still in its box.
A post-mortem examination concluded the cause of death was traumatic asphyxiation. Coroner Colin Phillips recorded a finding of accidental death, stating it appeared the axle stand slipped due to the sloped nature of the street. Mr Phillips extended his condolences to the family, saying Mr Burton was “much much loved and sorely missed.”
Source: Wales Online
mark mitchell
i seen the same thing years ago in falkirk a lad crushed under a car i was mobile at the time and was asked to supply a jack to lift the car off him but the fire brigade boys were there first put a wheel under a car axle stands can and will move