Daniel Burton was found trapped under the vehicle and, despite the best efforts of neighbours who tried to lift the car off him, the father of two could not be saved
A mechanic working on his own car was killed when the axle stand he was using gave way, an inquest has been told.
Daniel Burton was discovered trapped beneath the vehicle and despite neighbours’ desperate attempts to lift the car off him, along with emergency services racing to help, he couldn’t be rescued.
The father-of-two was 27. An inquest into Mr Burton’s death at Swansea’s Guildhall court was told the Port Talbot man had a passion for football – turning out for several teams including, most recently, Cilfrew – and was devoted to cars.
As a youngster he was described as “happy go lucky” and “a likeably cheeky chap” who favoured hands-on activities over desk work, reports Wales Online.
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After finishing at St Joseph’s School, the Cardiff City supporter trained as a mechanic and at the time of his death was employed at KandJ Motors in Pencoed, just one week away from qualifying as an MoT tester.
He was described in court as a “devoted” partner and father, with it being said that “becoming a father was the making of Daniel”. The court was told that on the day in question – January 22 this year – Mr Burton attended college where he was studying towards his MoT qualification before going with his partner and children to Swansea’s Penlan Leisure Centre, after which the family returned to his partner’s home on Southall Avenue in Skewen. Despite the late hour and darkness, Mr Burton was reportedly eager to begin work on his Audi A3, having just obtained the necessary part for repair.
Witnesses later reported seeing Mr Burton working under the car. The Audi was elevated on the driver’s side with its rear wheels removed.
Mr Burton was visible lying on his back, his torso and head beneath the vehicle and his legs protruding.
One passer-by told the inquest she had considered the car looked precarious and contemplated whether to voice her concerns but decided the mechanic underneath might not welcome the remark.
Mr Burton’s body was discovered around 6.30pm by a woman who, along with her sister, was driving around Skewen searching for her recently stolen car.
The inquest heard that the woman stopped to ask the man under the A3 if he had seen anything, but when she received no response, she realised something was wrong and raised the alarm. A neighbour hurried to the scene and attempted to lift the car off his friend using a jack, and Mr Burton’s partner was informed of the tragic incident.
The emergency services were called and firefighters, ambulance crews and police were soon in attendance. Mr Burton was pronounced dead at the scene at 6.53pm and an investigation was launched.
An examination of the scene found a jack and one axle stand laying on its side underneath the car with another axle stand still in its box. The police investigation found no suspicious circumstances.
The inquest heard that a post mortem examination was carried out on Mr Burton and the cause of death was determined to be traumatic asphyxiation, also known as “crush asphyxiation”.
Coroner Colin Phillips said Mr Burton was a qualified mechanic who was working on his car which was parked on a sloped street. He said it appeared that, due to the nature of the sloped street, the axle stand slipped and trapped the father-of-two underneath the vehicle.
A finding of accidental death was recorded. The coroner expressed his condolences to the family of Mr Burton in court and said he was sure the mechanic was “much much loved and sorely missed”.