A father was fatally injured after being struck and reversed over by a colleague's vehicle while at work. James Connolly, 49, also known as Jamie, was working as a lift supervisor on a major construction site in Ince, Ellesmere Port, in June 2023, where Michael Nixon was employed as a self-employed telehandler driver.
Incident details
A telehandler combines the functions of a forklift and a crane through an extendable hydraulic boom, commonly used in construction for moving heavy materials. On the morning of June 11, Jamie was struck and driven over by the telehandler being operated by Nixon while Nixon was returning to his work station from the welfare compound, sustaining fatal injuries.
Investigation findings
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the principal contractor had put in place measures to reduce the need for reversing on site, including a turning circle, which was unobstructed at the time. However, Nixon, a qualified and experienced telehandler driver, chose to reverse without assistance from a banksman—a trained operative who safely directs vehicles on construction sites.
The investigation also revealed that Nixon had been using his phone while operating the telehandler, contrary to site rules he had signed.
Legal outcome
Nixon, 46, of Deeside, Heswall, Wirral, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. He was sentenced to 12 weeks' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, fined £800, and ordered to pay £2,000 in costs at Warrington Magistrates' Court on August 11, 2026.
Jamie's daughter Amelia Connolly said: "I struggle with a great deal of anger. I am angry that my dad went to work and never came home. Alongside the sadness there is also a constant sense of injustice. It is difficult to accept that someone could leave home for work and never return to their family."
In a victim personal statement, Jamie's mother Pauline Connolly said: "I have constant flashbacks to that day and every time we get a phone call my heart drops and I fear the worst news, I am always saying, 'who is it? What is it?' Every time I see someone in a high viz jacket and a hard hat, I think it is Jamie. I am changed forever since my son's death. I miss and think about him every day. My first-born child. My only son."
HSE comment
HSE Principal Inspector Laura Royales said: "Workplace transport incidents remain one of the biggest causes of deaths in the workplace. It is vital that drivers follow the site rules and do not cut corners and put lives at risk. Our thoughts remain with the family of James Connolly."
The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Nathan Cook and paralegal officer Benjamin Stobbart, with investigation support from Visiting Officer Sarah Ough.
