Dad and son plunged 100ft to their deaths in horror work accident after platform suddenly collapsed

David Bottomley, 53, and son Clayton, 17
-Credit: (Image: Facebook)


A father and his son passed away in a horror work accident after plunging 100ft to their deaths when the platform they were on suddenly collapsed.

David Bottomley, 53, and Clayton, 17, were working on the exterior cladding of one of the two towers that make up the Unity Building in Liverpool. As reported by the Sun, an inquest into their deaths is being held at the city's Gerard Majella Courthouse.

Witnesses told police what they saw before the two men fell and workers at the scene claimed that "the brakes had failed," causing the platform to fall. The court heard that David and Clayton fell from the 21st floor and landed on the roof on the seventh floor.

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Jack Watson was in his flat on the 13th floor when he was awoken by the sound of the impact - and the paramedic likened the sound to "a plane crash or car bomb". Jack rushed down to help but stated David showed "clear signs of a brain injury, wasn't conscious," and had no pulse.

The Unity Building in Liverpool
The Unity Building in Liverpool -Credit:Getty Images

The 53-year-old was declared dead at the scene, while Clayton - who was in intensive care - died four days later at Aintree University Hospital. The Unity Building is a 27-storey residential block featuring 161 apartments, alongside a 16-floor tower consisting of commercial space.

Shanee Tatton, who resides in a flat on the 21st floor, explained how the two had appeared outside her window before tragically falling to their deaths. She said David had been "making her laugh" before the pair started drilling on the outside of the building.

Shanee added that she was in an online meeting when she heard "a loud noise that sounded like something falling and crashing at speed, like a sound I'd never heard before". Thomas Blanchfield was in a solicitors officer adjacent to the tower when the two men fell and in his statement, he explained that he saw David attempt to grab something before the platform began to fall.

The witness added that he saw both David and Clayton seemingly bracing themselves before hearing several "loud clicks," after which the platform dropped about a foot before plunging into freefall.

"It was a noise like a Catherine wheel or a zip-wire," his statement read. "I shouted ‘the baskets have dropped.' I did not see it hit the floor but I heard the crash and could see it bounce back up a floor and a half."

Laura Hampton, who was in the same office building, recalled how people who saw the father and son fall started "screaming". The inquest, currently underway, is expected to last seven days.

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