A Nottinghamshire joiner died after an 'absolutely tragic accident' in his workshop. Jack Skill died aged 30 after being struck by a heavy piece of wood in his workshop on Blidworth Lane, Blidworth, on February 22, 2022.
The self-employed worker was found after 7pm next to the lathe in his workshop and died at the scene, despite attempts at CPR. An inquest at the Council House in Nottingham heard he had died after the wood he was working on split and hit him.
This caused a significant traumatic injury to his head, lacerations to his forehead, and 'very clear' skull fractures. Assistant coroner for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, Fiona Gingell, resuming the inquest on Thursday (January 12), heard from DC Nathan Bingham, of Nottinghamshire Police, the officer on the case, and explored the findings of Jack's post mortem.
DC Bingham said East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) had called police at 9.30pm but had been alerted to the incident earlier on. CPR was attempted as instructed by EMAS but by the time they arrived Jack had passed away.
The lathe machine was still running when Jack's family member, who had found him in the workshop, arrived. Giving evidence at the inquest, DC Bingham said it was apparent Jack had suffered a severe head injury.
He explained three pieces of wood had split from the original 'circle' shape on the lathe. "This circle had been attached to the chuck and had been rotating, and Jack was using a tool to shape the wood," DC Bingham said.
One of these pieces had separated and hit Jack according to DC Bingham, causing fatal damage. DC Bingham found there were no faults with the machine or its operation by Jack, concluding the wood had splintered despite everything being correct in the workshop.
A post mortem found Jack had suffered a significant traumatic injury to his head, lacerations to his forehead, and very clear skull fractures. The examiner concluded Jack had unnaturally died as a result of trauma, with traumatic brain injuries and fractures consistent with being struck by a piece of heavy wood.
The assistant coroner agreed with the suggested medical cause of death, recording it as an accidental death. She added there were no suspicious circumstances and that evidence left her satisfied the lathe was working correctly.
Ms Gingell expressed her condolences to Jack's family, some of whom were present in the court. She added: "It is an absolutely tragic accident and I can see that Jack leaves behind a much loving family."
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