Sole trader jailed after man crushed under van at Bootle garage

The owner of a motor repair company in England has been jailed for 10 months following the death of an employee who got stuck and crushed under a vehicle.

Kenneth (Kenny) McCord, 56, died following the incident on 16th July 2020 at JJ Tyres & Recovery in Bootle, Merseyside.

Joseph Jones, the owner of the business, was sentenced at a hearing at Liverpool Crown Court earlier this month.

The court heard that Mr McCord was assisting in the removal of the flat rear bed of a tipper van – to salvage spare parts – when the hydraulic system of the tipper bed was released without the support arm being in place.

The flatbed then fell and crushed him while he was working underneath it.

Mr Jones and two other employees on site managed to get Mr McCord out from under the tipper bed and the chassis of the vehicle.

He appeared shaken but was still able to talk and have a drink of water.

Shortly afterwards Mr McCord’s condition started to rapidly deteriorate, and an ambulance was called.

He was taken to a nearby hospital where it was found he was suffering from significant internal injuries caused by the crushing.

Mr McCord underwent surgery but later died from his injuries.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found sole trader Joseph Jones had no risk assessments, safe systems of work or lifting plan.

The company did not provide staff with adequate training or made them aware of the dangers associated with removing the flat bed from a vehicle.

The investigation also found that if the support arm which props the tipper bed while in the raised position had been in place at the time, this incident would have been avoided.