A road worker died after a diabetic motorist who had felt unwell at the wheel for half a mile crashed into a trench where he was working, an inquest heard.
Electrical engineer Martin Andrew Parker, 39, suffered catastrophic chest injuries when a Vauxhall Astra crashed through roadworks and ploughed into a ditch where he was replacing cabling. He died at the scene.
An inquest into his death heard that diabetic driver of the Astra, who had 'skipped breakfast' and admitted he struggled with his vision moments before the crash, was investigated for allegedly causing death by dangerous driving but he died before any charges were brought.
Mr Parker, a father from Denton, was working on Featherstall Road in Littleborough when the incident happened just before 11.47am on Sunday, October 17, 2021.
The Electricity North West Ltd employee was working in a ditch with a colleague when the Astra, instead of following the road to the right, mounted the pavement and crashed through the roadworks, ending up in the trench where Mr Parker was working.
At his inquest in Rochdale on Friday afternoon, the officer who investigated the crash, Sgt Andrew Page, told a jury that officers spoke to the driver of the Astra, Jonathan Rigg, who admitted he started to feel unwell a 'short distance' before the crash. The driver said he had diabetes and admitted his vision had become 'impaired' before the incident, the officer told the inquest. The officer said there was no evidence the driver had been speeding along the 30mph limit Featherstall Road.
Sgt Page said Mr Rigg, from Tameside, was found dead at his home on January 24 this year before any charges could be brought. A post mortem examination concluded he died of 'fatigue liver disease', the court was told.
Mr Parker was working in the trench with his colleague, Kyle Banner, who told officers how the Astra pinned both of them against a wall of the ditch. Mr Banner tried to push the vehicle away and realised his work colleague was very seriously hurt, the inquest was told.
Mr Banner, who suffered severe leg injuries, said paramedics arrived and he described upsetting details about Mr Parker's condition as efforts continued to care for him. Firefighters were called and removed the car but Mr Parker died at the scene, the court was told.
Another motorist who gave a statement to police described how he was driving with his wife and he saw the Astra narrowly miss a traffic island before crashing into the roadworks and into the ditch.
Another driver told police how she commented 'what's this bloke doing?' as she saw Astra career towards the roadworks. The paramedics who arrived at the scene said Mr Parker's injuries were 'incompatible with life', the inquest was told.
The paramedics also checked over Mr Rigg, a type-2 diabetic who took insulin for his condition. He was said to be sweating and had a low blood-sugar reading at the time. He admitted at the scene he had 'skipped breakfast'.
A post mortem examination concluded Mr Parker died of chest and abdominal injuries.
Sgt Page told the inquest his initial analysis was that Mr Rigg had committed an offence of causing death by dangerous driving. Mr Rigg had admitted he had continued driving for half a mile despite feeling unwell and experiencing a loss of some vision, said the officer.
But the court was told Mr Rigg was found dead at his home in Tameside in January before any charges could be brought.
HM Inspector of Health & Safety David Norton told the inquest the contraflow that was in operation for the roadworks at the time was in accordance a code of practice which covers how roadworks are managed on suburban roads.
Coroner Nicholas Flanagan cited case law in explaining to the jury that a verdict of unlawful killing was not open to them and that they could only return a conclusion of accident. After retiring briefly to complete formalities, the jurors came back into court and returned an accidental death verdict.
"This was a very tragic and sad accident," Mr Flanagan told the jurors as he thanked them for their service.
No members of Mr Parker's family were present. Earlier, the court was told his wife Olivia remained extremely distressed and had not provided a witness statement and had declined invitations to attend.
Shortly after his death, two of Mr Parker's colleagues at Electricity North West told the Manchester Evening News that he was a 'friend in and out of work'.
“There’s not a bad word to say about him," said Gareth Williams, who knew Mr Parker for around 15 years. "He was a devoted father and husband, a stand-up guy. He would do anything for anyone and nothing would ever get him down.
"He was just the salt of the earth."
Jack Shaw, who worked with Martin for about four years, added: "He was genuine, kind and the most selfless person. He was always positive, always happy. I can’t think of any time when he wasn’t in a good mood, no matter what was going on."
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