Man crushed while fixing caravan (From Daily Echo)

Nursling man killed while fixing caravan's brakes

1:00pm Thursday 9th February 2012 in News By Joseph Curtis

A man was killed after he was crushed by the caravan he was fixing outside his home.

Douglas Pearce, 65, was fixing the brakes on his large Sterling caravan outside his property in Testlands Avenue, Nursling, having jacked up the vehicle and supported it on an axle stand.

But the vehicle became dislodged and fell onto Mr Pearce, causing severe chest injuries and preventing him from breathing for several minutes.

He was rushed to Southampton General Hospital but had sustained irreversible brain damage and died a few days later.

The accident was witnessed by neighbour Stephen Angel, of Homefield Drive, Nursling, who was out walking his dog, an inquest heard.

Mr Angel said: “I did not see anything happen as I was about 30-40 yards away but I heard a crash and a groan and I knew something was up.

“I had a suspicion of what had happened. If I had just heard the crash I would not have worried but because I heard a person groaning in agony I knew something was going on.”

He found Mr Pearce and alerted the former telephone engineer’s wife – who was inside the house – and nearby neighbours after the accident on August 29.

In a statement, Mrs Pearce, married to her husband for 44 years, said she was indoors and heard a noise but did not realise what had happened.

She said: “I was doing the ironing and heard a noise but I had the radio on and was not sure what it was because it wasn’t loud.

“Then I heard a knock on my door and had my neighbour tell me to ring for an ambulance.”

The inquest heard the caravan handbrake was not applied but a mechanised ‘friction wheel’ stabiliser was working. The vehicle was also on a slight slope, which may have affected its balance.

Grahame Short, Coroner for Central Hampshire, presiding, said: “It’s unclear precisely what happened as to why the caravan moved off its axle stand. I believe there was insufficient support for the van and it twisted and fell onto him as he carried out work.”

He recorded a verdict of accidental death and said it was a tragic incident.