Builder crushed to death by dump truck

A Swindon builder was crushed against a wall after the clutch failed on his Benford 3000 dumper.

Tony Lockey (48) died at Red Oaks Primary School in Redhouse on 20 June last year in an incident seen by schoolchildren playing nearby and captured on CCTV.

Lockey received fatal head injuries when he was crushed by the machine belonging to Pickerings Plant.

Driver Ashley Titcombe told the court the clutch failed. The CCTV footage showed the problems he was having with the machine leading up to the accident.

Sgt Craig Hardy, a vehicle examiner for Wiltshire Police, tested the dumper after the incident and told Wiltshire Coroner's Court he could depress the clutch pedal with a pen. Wiltshire Police told CJ that Hardy’s conclusion was that the clutch was worn but it burnt out and failed dramatically at an unfortunate moment.

Lockey had worked in the construction industry for 19 years and the court was told that with his experience he should not have positioned himself between the machine and the wall.

The jury returned a verdict of misadventure and commented that the area was restricted and manoeuvring difficult for such a large machine. Coroner David Masters will contact the education authority over concerns that the school allowed children to play yards from a building site at the time of the incident.