Jury concludes Harlow binman died in road traffic collision after 'misjudgement' while crossing road in Loughton

An Essex binman died after a road traffic collision where he made a "misjudgement" while crossing the road, a jury has concluded. The inquest into the death of Mark Tuthill ended on Tuesday (April 30) after it was heard he had suffered a blood clot six weeks after being involved in the crash in Loughton.

Mr Tuthill, 47, a refuse worker for Biffa for 4.5 years, sustained a serious fracture to his right ankle after being hit by a car as he crossed the road in Alderton Hill, Loughton, on March 10, 2022. He was taken to the hospital where he was operated on, put in a cast and discharged.

Around six weeks later, Mr Tuthill was found unresponsive at his friend's house where he had been dog-sitting, following concerns for his welfare. He tragically was declared dead at the scene, with a post-mortem later finding he had died from thrombosis [a blood clot] in the lungs, contributed to by another clot in his right calf, caused by the injury sustained in the crash.

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Following deliberations at Essex Coroners' Court today, the jury concluded that Mr Tuthill's thrombosis had been caused by the clot in his right leg which had resulted from the crash in March 2022. The jury said Mr Tuthill "made a misjudgement when he walked across the road".

The court previously heard that the driver of the Mercedes vehicle which struck Mr Tuthill was questioned by police. but officers chose not to pursue a prosecution over his actions, stating a "combination of factors" cast reasonable doubt over whether he was responsible for the incident and subsequent death.

Senior Coroner Lincoln Brookes, addressing Mr Tuthill's family in court, said: "We talk so much about Mark and had to focus on his death, and would rather focus on his life, and I am sure you could have told me a lot more about his achievements. Can I offer my sincere condolences again.

"I hope we have answered some of the questions you will have had after this tragedy. We will never answer all the questions. But I hope that the investigation has shone some light on issues you may have had."

Giving evidence in court on the response from Biffa after Mr Tuthill's death, Regional General Manager Debbie Doohan said numerous measures had been put in place since the incident and their policies had been reviewed. She told the court: "We at Biffa are extremely sorry for this incident and the death of our colleague Mark.

"We have taken this accident incident very seriously and taken a look at our systems with certainty. Once again I express my condolences to Mark's family and friends."

In a life letter about her brother previously read to the court, Mr Tuthill's sister Louisa said: "He had enjoyed his job as a bin man and had done it for many years. He loved West Ham. He was the best son to our mum, she is heartbroken by his death. He was the best uncle for my three children. He was one in a million and was always smiling and is greatly missed by all who knew him."