Man Killed On Workers' Memorial Day

Adrian Turner (50) a HGV lorry driver from Bilston, Wolverhampton went to work like any other day. He had been delivering scrap metal to a yard in Newport, South Wales on 28th April 2008 when he was tragically killed.

As Adrian got out of the lorry to deliver his load to the metal shredder area of the yard a one and a half ton crushed car fell approximately 20 feet straight onto Mr Turner. The tragic irony is that Adrian died on National Workers’ Memorial Day 2008.

Owners of the scrap metal yard, Sims Group UK Limited, pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and at Cardiff Crown Court the company were fined £200,000 and ordered to pay £57,500 costs.

Toni Knott from Irwin Mitchell who represented Mr Turner’s family, said: 

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“Mr Turner leaves behind a widow and three children, aged 18, 12 and 9. They have all been left devastated by his tragic and untimely death.

“Adrian really enjoyed his job and had worked as a HGV driver for more than 20 years. When he left for work that day, his family never imagined it would be the last time they would see him.

“Like so many tragic accidents of this kind, legal action has not been about financial recompense as no amount of money could ever bring Adrian back or relieve his family’s loss.

“Admirably, the family has remained steadfast in their determination to obtain justice for his death and committed to ensuring lessons are learnt not only by the defendants but by other employers, to prevent this totally avoidable tragedy from happening again.

“We have now secured an admission of liability against the Simms Group and I hope the defendants will work with us to settle this case as quickly as possible to spare the family any further distress. It is clear that there were blatant breaches of health and safety regulations and that this tragic accident could have easily been avoided. ” Toni Knott - Associate Solicitor

As a result of Mr Turner’s fatal accident, Toni Knott is calling for more workers to be aware of health and safety at work and to ensure that their safety is the number one priority.