A heartbroken father has spoken out after his lorry driver son was killed in a tragic accident when he was crushed by his own cargo, describing it as being in the "wrong place, wrong time."
Fatal Incident in North Wales
Seasoned HGV driver Tom Willis, 29, was delivering two tractors to a yard in Alltami, Flintshire, when the devastating incident occurred. The ex-soldier was crushed when one of the vehicles rolled off the rear of his lorry as he cried out: "Woah, woah, woah."
An inquest heard Mr Willis had driven 250 miles from Tiverton, Devon, to complete the delivery. He became trapped beneath his own cargo when it "rolled off backwards" from his vehicle, leaving him pinned underneath.
Post-Mortem Examination
A post-mortem examination conducted by Home Office Forensic Pathologist Dr Brian Rodgers determined Mr Willis would have died quickly as a result of being crushed. The cause of death was recorded as crush asphyxia at the two-day inquest in Ruthin.
Former North Wales Police vehicle examiner Peter Jones stated CCTV footage showed Mr Willis carrying two chain ratchet load binders outside the premises at 5:51 am. He said in his assessment, Mr Willis had removed the chains in readiness for unloading the tractors before entering the site.
Narrative Conclusion
The jury delivered a narrative conclusion stating a "combination of factors" led to one of the units rolling off backwards, trapping him and causing "severe crush injuries."
Father's Tribute
Speaking following the hearing, father Paul Willis said his son was working in his "dream job" when he was in the "wrong place, wrong time." He said: "It was just a genuine mistake. One hundred percent - wrong place wrong time. Tom was a big believer in 'what is done is done - move on.' He never held grudges."
"If you had an argument with him, even myself, the next night we'd be in the pub having a drink together. Everybody liked him. He got on so well with all the customers no matter where he worked."
"Tom started his driving career in the Army. He loved it in Europe doing all the big tank movements. When came back, we got him a job driving tankers. Within two years he was running all the lorries for that company."
"He was so positive and just always wanted to move on, to improve himself - to climb the ladder. When he got the job he was doing, with David Mouland Haulage, he told everyone it was the job of his dreams. He loved it - it's exactly where he wanted to be."
Mr Willis added: "It's very emotional, obviously we're learning more now than we knew. There will never be closure, but hopefully we can draw a line under this part of the proceedings and get on with our lives."
