A jury inquest into the death of a fairground worker who was fatally injured at an event in Whitley Bay will take place next year. Corrie Lee Stavers, 28, of Houghton-le-Spring, sustained serious head injuries while working on a ride at Spanish City Summer Funfair, operated by Turner's Funfair, on August 23 last year.
Emergency services were called to the scene, but he died a short time later. A pre-inquest review was held at Newcastle Coroner's Court on Thursday, where Corrie's family, Turner's Funfair and the Health and Safety Executive were listed as interested parties.
Jury inquest required by law
Senior Coroner Georgina Nolan told the court that the inquest will be heard by a jury. She said: "This has to be a jury inquest as a matter of course because Corrie's death arose from an accident at his work place. The law says a jury has to enquire into the death."
The coroner said the inquest would examine the medical cause of death, the events of August 23 last year and any missed opportunities to prevent the incident. She added: "The Health and Safety Executive will have done a very thorough investigation."
Video footage to be shown to jury
Coroner Nolan noted that there was video footage of the accident, which would need to be played to the jury. Speaking to Corrie's family, she said: "I know there's some video footage of what's happened. It's very harrowing. I'm a coroner and I see all types of things. I was definitely shocked when I saw that. I can't sympathize enough with you."
The coroner described the footage as "distressing" and said the jury would have to be shown it, with warnings given. A four-day inquest has been scheduled to begin on February 1 next year.
Family's tribute
Northumbria Police contacted the Health and Safety Executive following Corrie's death, and they began assisting with the investigation. At the time, his family described him as having "a heart of gold" and said they were "still in shock". His father, Lee Stavers, said: "Corrie would do anything for you, we used to have the neighbours coming round telling us how lovely of a lad he was."
He added: "He was also a fantastic and devoted father, and he was so strong in the way that he battled back after losing his mam. Being at the fair and travelling with them is what he loved doing, so we were really happy to see that he had started back there again."
In September last year, Lee Stavers pleaded for video footage showing his son's death to be removed from social media, saying it was "so traumatising" and "mentally and emotionally destroying" for his family.
