Fitter killed by exploding tyre
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• An inquest has been held into the death of John Hogg, who was killed when the rim of a split wheel blew off.
Hogg was working as a garage handyman at Cadzow Heavy Haulage, Hamilton, on 2 June last year when the accident happened.
Cadzow's managing director Ernest Macauley has told Workshop that Hogg, who had been fitting tyres for over seven years, was fitting the fifth of six new tyres. Wheels were 'always placed in a cage before inflating, says Macauley, but there were several wheels and tyres in various states at the time of the incident.
Macauley believes Hogg noticed that the rim of one tyre was not seated properly but forgot that it had been inflated because of the number being fitted. Hogg hit the rim with a heavy hammer to correct the seating but this disloged it, causing the tyre to explode.
Hearing the noise Macauley looked out over the workshop to
see its roof shatter. He and a fitter rushed to the scene. 'tit was an awful sight", he says. "I could not beleive that a tyre could do so much damage."
Hogg was taken to hospital with "the most terrible head injuries" and died the following OP morning. It was not possible to
establish if the hammer or the establish if the hammer or the wheel rim had struck him. The shaft of the hammer was split and the wheel rim had been thrown through the workshop roof.
"Others must learn from this just how dangerous tyre fitting is", says Macauley. Of Hogg he says: "He was a great guy and will be greatly missed."