Road Worker run over while urinating under lorry

Magazine article

Road worker run over while urinating under lorry

A coroner has issued a safety warning after a road worker was run over while urinating between the axles of a grab lorry on a resurfacing job.

Dorset coroner Brendan Allen has written to the Health and Safety Executive following an inquest into the death of Thomas Joseph McAuley.

McAuley was part of a six-person crew working for Kiley Brothers on a road repair job in Ferndown, Dorset in July 2022.

He needed to urinate during the morning and stood between the third and fourth axles of a four axle 32 tonne grab lorry to answer the call of nature.

The driver was unaware of McAuley’s presence and moved the grab lorry forward a short distance at low speed causing him catastrophic and fatal injuries.

The inquest heard that it was common practice for roadwork crews to use the space between the rear axles of lorries to urinate, even when a welfare van has been provided on site.

The coroner said: “If the practice is ongoing, there remains a risk of future deaths, as any small movement of the vehicle can cause fatal injuries.

“In my opinion urgent action should be taken to prevent future deaths.”