A grieving wife has spoken of her heartache after a lorry driver was killed after being hit by a forklift truck at a Salford depot. John Fitzpatrick was struck by the vehicle while waiting for a delivery to be loaded onto his trailer at Kingsland Drinks Ltd in Irlam.
The 59-year-old, from Chadderton in Oldham, suffered serious head injuries in the shocking incident on August 19, 2020, and later died in hospital.
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The drinks firm, which supplies wines to several large supermarket chains, was slapped with an £800,000 fine after admitting two health and safety breaches at Manchester Magistrates' Court last week. Following the hearing, Mr Fitzpatrick's wife, Paula, revealed the devastating impact his death has had on their family. She said the father-of-one and grandfather had started as an agency worker based at Kingsland Drinks shortly before his death.
She recalled how Mr Fitzpatrick had kissed her goodbye before leaving for work on the night he was killed.
"He said ta-ra to me at the door and went out," she said. "That was it. The next thing I knew, the police were knocking on my door. It was horrendous.
"They took us to the hospital and I met my son. They tried to do everything they could for John.
"They asked me if he wanted to do organ donation, which he did."
Paying tribute to her husband, Paula described him as a 'lovely bloke' and a 'family man'.
She added: “John was a joyful character, full of life, and often described as the life and soul of the party.
“He would talk to anyone and I would often lose him for a couple of hours when he went to the local shop as he would be talking to all the neighbours on the way.
“He was that kind of person – a very hardworking man who would do all the DIY around the house and that included all the family’s odd-jobs.
“At the time of his death, we were planning how our future would look.
"Everybody knew John. His death has devastated all of us and he is greatly missed."
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Kingsland Drinks had failed in a number of areas.
The firm's risk assessment was found to be 'out of date and not fit for purpose', and there was no pedestrian and vehicle segregation in place in the loading area. Visiting drivers were not given clear information about site safety, investigators found.
At the sentencing hearing last Wednesday (January 25), Kingsland Drinks Ltd pleaded guilty to two breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act. The firm, of The Winery, Fairhills Road, Irlam, was fined £800,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,614.30.
While Paula initially felt anger over John's death, she said she hoped the conclusion of the court proceedings would provide a sense of 'closure'.
"We have got to move on now," she said. "It's been hanging over our head for two-and-a-half years.
"They made mistakes and it should not have happened, but it did. I have no hatred for them."
Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Sharon Butler said: “This death would have been prevented if clear controls had been in place for visiting drivers.
“Companies who have loading areas need to provide information and instructions to visiting drivers and have clear segregation in place to ensure the site is safe for all who use it.
“Easy steps can be taken to reduce the risk of visiting drivers becoming injured on site.”
A spokesperson for Kingslands Drinks said: “Our deepest sympathy goes to the family and friends of Mr Fitzpatrick. We accept the outcome of the sentencing hearing on 25th January 2023.
"Following the tragic accident we promptly implemented changes to enhance the existing health and safety controls on site to minimise the risks and have fully cooperated with the Health and Safety Executive throughout the investigation. The business has had a good health and safety record for many years and has a sincere regard for the well-being of employees and visitors to the site.
"Given ongoing proceedings, we are not able to comment further at this time.”
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