Tragedy of father crushed by lorry (From York Press)

Tragedy of father crushed by lorry

12:00pm Thursday 1st June 2006 in Ryedale news By Tom Stirling

A father-of-two crushed against his own home by a 40-tonne lorry was the victim of a tragic accident, a coroner ruled yesterday.

Graham Johnson, 36, died after trying to warn the lorry driver he was too close to his house.

The inquest, held at Pickering Magistrates Court, was told that self-employed driver John Housley, from Nottingham, was delivering a load of brick paving stones to the yard behind Mr Johnson's house in East Heslerton, near Malton.

The DAF articulated lorry, towing a trailer, arrived at about 6pm on February 15. Mr Housley tried to negotiate the narrow driveway beside the house, with Mr Johnson directing him with a torch.

Mr Housley told the inquest: "Graham was behind me, and shouted: OK, drive'. I checked both my mirrors and my rear view camera. I pulled forward so what Graham must have done is try to run and beat me between my trailer and the house.

"All I heard as I was pulling forward was a groan. I pressed on my brakes. I jumped out of the lorry and saw Graham slumped there."

Neighbour Simon Pattison was in his dining room at the time.

He said: "I heard the lorry coming up the drive, and all of a sudden I heard Graham shout whoa' then I heard a noise like bottles being crushed."

Police collision investigator Steve Kirkbright told the inquest he believed Mr Johnson had been trying to signal to Mr Housley to stop as the trailer swung round towards his house.

PC Kirkbright said: "Mr Johnson, on realising that the trailer was going to collide with the wall, has moved forward and attempted to signal to Mr Housley by waving the torch towards the offside mirror."

But he said an outdoor security light could have been shining into that same mirror, making Mr Johnson's signal impossible to see.

PC Kirkbright added: "As to why Mr Johnson chose to move into the gap (between the wall and the lorry), I can only surmise he had not anticipated the vehicle would have moved towards the wall."

Mr Johnson was pinned against the wall, and sustained severe injuries to his chest, head and abdomen. He died at the scene. The wall itself was also heavily damaged.

Mr Johnson's wife Vanessa, 34, had been out taking their sons to football practice.

Mr Johnson known to his family and friends as Budgie ran a resurfacing business, Johnsons 4 Tarmac. He was renovating a barn in the yard behind his house, and the bricks were intended for that project.

North Yorkshire coroner Michael Oakley returned a verdict of accidental death.