Classic car enthusiast crushed to death by his sports car

An inquest heard that 65-year-old John Philip Waterson died after the small sports car he was working on "unknowingly collapsed" onto him at his home garage

Classic car enthusiast crushed to death by his sports car
Image: Bigstock.

A classic car enthusiast, John Philip Waterson, 65, was tragically crushed to death under his sports car while working in his garage in Langton, near Darlington, Co Durham.

An inquest at the coroners’ court in Crook, Co Durham, heard that Mr Waterson’s wife, Amanda, returned home on June 23 and found his body in the garage. She described leaving the house on a “normal day” at around 9.30 am and returning at 3pm. “I entered the garage and found John and immediately called for an ambulance,” she stated. She added that her husband was “well-respected by friends and colleagues” and that everyone who knew him was “shocked and sad” after the ‘terrible accident’.

Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service watch manager Tony Hardy confirmed they arrived to find a “classic sports car resting on top of an adult male”.

Assistant coroner James Thompson noted that the car appeared to have been hoisted up using a jack and axle stands, but upon the fire service’s arrival, “these devices were not underneath”. The fire crew lifted the vehicle to reach Mr Waterson, who was pronounced dead by a Great North Air Ambulance doctor at 3.30pm.

Pathologist Dr Nigel Cooper recorded the cause of death as crush injuries to the head and chest. Mr Thompson concluded that it could not be established how the vehicle stopped being supported and fell onto him, describing the incident as the “very definition of a tragic accident”. The cause of death was formally recorded as crush injuries after his vehicle, “for reasons unknown, collapsed onto him.”

Source: Mirror

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