Tragic father and son died after platform plunged 14 storeys while pair were working

A father and son plummeted 14 floors to their deaths after a climbing platform suddenly gave way as horrified onlookers looked on. David Bottomley, 53, and his apprentice son Clayton, 17, were carrying out work on the Unity Building in Liverpool City Centre, an inquest heard.

The freak accident occured on the 21st floor of the skyscraper when people in the office blocks watched the horror unfold. The tragic pair plunged 14 storeys onto the roof of the seventh floor at around 3.30pm on May 19, 2021, reports the Mirror.

David sadly died at the scene, after eyewitnesses said it was similar to a "free fall" before they saw them "lying on the roof". Bystanders recalled the tragedy in court today, with witness Thomas Blanchfield, describing the moment he spotted the tragedy from a meeting room window.

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He said: "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."

Mr Blanchfield stated that the platform, which was attached to a mast, began to click "like a rollercoaster" as it gradually dropped. He said: "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."

Both men were seriously injured in the fall and David was pronounced dead at the scene an hour later, with his cause of death being "massive blunt force chest injuries".

Clayton was rushed to the intensive care unit at Aintree Hospital, but he sadly died on May 23. A subsequent post-mortem found the teenager had suffered "severe, irreversible and unsurvivable brain damage", with his cause of death being a hypoxic brain injury, cardiac arrest, and multiple injuries.

Workmen at the scene told cops that "the brakes had failed" on the platform, causing it to fall. David Bottomley had been working on the building for 18 months as a sub-contractor for AAI Selby, a construction company contracted by site operators Laing O'Rourke. His son had been working onsite for six months as he completed an apprenticeship with his dad's company.

Thomas Lowry, another eyewitness from the business side of the Unity Building, said: "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 witnessed the accident from her kitchen window which was on the residential side of the building, while she was in an online work meeting.

She said: "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."

Following their tragic deaths David and Clayton were described as "peas in a pod" by family friends. A tribute left near the scene of the industrial incident in 2021 read: "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 inquest is expected to continue throughout the week, with evidence from the Health and Safety Executive, site operators Laing O’Rourke, mast climbing work platform suppliers Adastra Access, and gearbox specialists Nord Gear Ltd.

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