Builder and son died after 'climbing platform plummeted 14 storeys'
A father and son from Castleford tragically lost their lives after the climbing platform they were on collapsed while working on a building in Liverpool city centre, an inquest was told. David Bottomley, 53, and his apprentice son Clayton, 17, were at work on the Unity Building at the junction of Chapel Street and Rumford Place when the platform gave way around 3.30 pm on May 19, 2021.
David was pronounced dead at the scene, whereas Clayton succumbed to his injuries in hospital four days later. During the court proceedings on September 16, eyewitness accounts painted a chilling picture of the moment the platform from the 21st floor fell 14 storeys to the roof of the seventh floor, reports The Liverpool Echo.
Thomas Blanchfield, who was in the tower on business and witnessed the event from a meeting room window, recounted: "I could see David trying to grab something. I could see Clayton moving, but I didn't know what he was doing. Then they both came away from the building and grabbed the railing, and both seemed to brace themselves."
He described how the platform, secured to a mast, started clicking "like a rollercoaster" before it descended rapidly. He added: "There was about four to six clicks before it went into free-fall. The noise was like a Catherine wheel or a zip-wire as the basket was in free-fall."
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Both individuals sustained grave injuries following the fall, resulting in David being declared deceased at the scene an hour afterwards due to "massive blunt force chest injuries". Clayton was rushed to Aintree Hospital's intensive care unit but sadly died from his injuries four days later on May 23. An examination concluded that the teen endured "severe, irreversible and un-survivable brain damage", with hypoxic brain injury, cardiac arrest, and multiple injuries listed as causes of death.
Witnesses working nearby informed Merseyside Police of a critical equipment failure, stating that "the brakes had failed" on the platform, precipitating its collapse. David Bottomley had been employed on the construction project for 18 months as a subcontractor for AAI Selby, whereas Clayton was six months into his apprenticeship related to his fathers business.
Thomas Lowry, a bystander from the commercial aspect of the Unity Building, described the moment of the incident: "The noise made me look out straight away, and I saw the platform suspended against the residential side of the building. The right hand side was about one foot lower than the left hand side. The noises coming from the platform I can only describe as similar to the noises you hear when you're on a rollercoaster. The noises you hear at the very top before you fall."
Shani Tatton, who witnessed the accident from her kitchen window during an online work meeting, remarked: "I heard a loud noise. It sounded like something falling at high speed and crashing afterwards. I couldn't even describe the sound. It was like nothing I've ever heard before."
"When I got a chance to look, I looked out the window and saw all the flashing lights and the paramedics around the same two males I had seen earlier. It was then I knew what had happened. The two males were lying on the roof."
Family friends remembered David and Clayton as 'peas in a pod' following their tragic demise. Echoing the sentiments of loss, a heartfelt note laid near the location of the fatal industrial event in 2021 reads: "To Dave and Clayton, my old friend and his son, we never made that catch up drink and that I will always miss. Always a smile on your face. You both will be sorely missed, save a seat at the bar for me."
The investigation into this heartbreaking incident is set to carry on through the week, with testimony anticipated from officials at the Health and Safety Executive, site managers Laing O'Rourke, mast climbing platform suppliers Adastra Access, and gearbox specialists Nord Gear Ltd.