Bradford & District | Archive | 2005 | November | 2
From the archive, first published Wednesday 2nd Nov 2005.
The grieving family of a window cleaner, who plunged 50 feet to his death after a wooden balcony rail gave way, have spoken of their disappointment that no-one has been held accountable for their son's death.
Stephen Wainwright, 44, was working on a fifth-storey flat at Wells Court, Ilkley, in March when he applied pressure to the outside of a wooden rail which broke.
The jury at the inquest in Bradford were told that it was most likely that Mr Wainwright had either been leaning on the rails from the inside of the balcony trying to clean the kitchen window that was out of reach, or was standing on the outside of the balcony holding on to the rail.
After the jury returned their narrative verdict Mr Wainwright's stepfather, Alistair McPherson, said the family were disappointed with the outcome.
In a statement Mr McPherson said: "Stephen's mother and I are saddened and distressed by Stephen's death. We expected today's verdict to be accidental death.
"After hearing the evidence we are of the view that Stephen has died due to a faulty balcony rail on a fifth-floor privately-owned flat, after those flats had been refurbished.
"Stephen was a very conscientious and safe worker and someone should be accountable for his tragic death.
"We found it very frustrating at the lack of information we were given after Stephen died. We were constantly being told different versions of the events leading up to Stephen's death and we were never sure what the true circumstances were."
The inquest was told that the screws holding the rail on to the balcony had barely penetrated the timber, but Julian Franklin, an inspector for the Health and Safety Executive, said that he was convinced Mr Wainwright would not have fallen if he had been working in a safe fashion.
He told Coroner Roger Whittaker: "I think to impress that much force on a piece of timber about which you have no knowledge would be a very unwise thing to do.
"To cause that piece of timber to move or break I think would involve leaning over or leaning out more than would be wise."
The court heard that builders working on the flats in the weeks before Mr Wainwright fell had checked a number of the balcony rails, some of which had then been replaced.
Mr Franklin said that if this rail had been in a poor condition then it might not have taken much force to prise it away.
The inquest heard evidence from the owner of the flat, Jean Kirby, who told the coroner that she had asked Mr Wainwright not to clean the kitchen window.
Her home care assistant, Rosemary Aldridge, was also in the flat when he fell and described how she heard a "loud crack" and then heard him cry out, but there was no-one who actually saw Mr Wainwright fall.
The jury returned a narrative verdict which read: "Stephen Ian Wainwright was a self-employed window cleaner. While cleaning windows at flat 15 at Wells Court he fell from its balcony after applying pressure to the outside of three wooden rails causing it to give way."
Mr Whittaker said that after hearing the evidence he did not feel it necessary to write to any authorities to try to prevent similar fatalities.
© Newsquest Media Group 2008