Teenager died trying to retrieve football

From the archive, first published Monday 16th Jul 2007.

A VERDICT of accidental death' has been recorded at an inquest for a teenager who died after he fell through a roof at the Broadheath factory where he worked.

Sixteen-years-old Ashley Saunders fell 25-feet (5.3m) trying to retrieve a football from a warehouse roof during a lunchtime game at Cartwright Haulage and Trailers on Atlantic Street.

The apprentice, a former Ashton on Mersey pupil, was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital after the fall on February 7 2006, and was later transferred to Hope Hospital where he died the following day.

Jurors at the inquest, at Stockport College on Monday, heard pathologist Dr Khalid Ahmed say the cause of death was serious head injuries.'

Dr Ahmed said: "Ashley would have lost consciousness immediately and would have been unaware of the pain but his injuries were devastating."

Daniel Kay, who worked with Ashley saw the fall.

He said: "None of us could see the ball on the roof and it looked unsafe to climb on so we told Ashley not to do it but I don't think he heard us. He went up, took two steps and went crashing through a plastic skylight on to the concrete floor below."

A second eyewitness, James Waldron, who has worked at Cartwrights for eight years, said he was not aware of any inspections being carried out on the roof prior to the incident but that since Ashley's death a number of warning signs were put up.

He added that Ashley was the first person he had seen climb onto the roof, which was later cordoned off by the health and safety executive (HSE) for investigation.

Laura Catterall, an HSE inspector said Ashley's fall was not down to inherent failure of the roof.'

She said: "The roof was fragile, but typical of industrial buildings. It collapsed due to being stood on rather than actually collapsing on top of somebody."