Flashover caused death
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• A lorry driver checked the clearance between his mobile crane arid overhead cables minutes before he was killed by a massive electric shock. Edward Elliott, 57, died when 20,000V passed through his body after electricity arced from the cables at Wallington Hall in Northumberland on to the jib of a crane he was operating. An i nq uest heard how Elliott, of Killingworth, north Tyneside, had arrived at the hall in March with workmate Leslie Hedley to deliver a portable cabin. The driver saw the power lines running across a car park, but told Hedley there would be just enough room to unload. Elliott was preparing to lift the cabin off the back of his lorry when the crane jib passed within inches of the cables, triggering a flashover which killed him. As Elliott fell back, the weight of his body pulled the jib clear of the cables, saving Hedley from electrocution. 'The jib didn't touch the cable, but there was a flash just as Eddie started to take the strain with the crane," said Hedley, of Deneside, Sedgehill, County Durham,
Peter Linfoot, the Health and Safety Executive inspector who investigated the accident, said Elliott's employer, Owen Pugh of Dudley, claimed he was experienced and trained in using lorry-mounted cranes. He had attended three safety courses, one highlighting the dangers of overhead power lines. Verdict: Accidental death.