A FATHER and his son fell more than 30ft to their deaths in a horrific work accident after the platform they were on suddenly collapsed.
David Bottomley, 53, and his son Clayton, 17, were working on the exterior cladding of one of the two towers that make up the Unity building in Liverpool.
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David Bottomley, 53, and his son Clayton, 17 Credit: Facebook
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The Unity building is a 27-storey apartment blockCredit: Getty
The inquest into their deaths at Gerard Majella City Court heard from witnesses who told police what they saw before the two men fell.
Workers at the scene claimed the “brakes failed”, causing the rig to fall.
David and Clayton fell from the 21st floor and landed on the roof on the seventh floor, the court heard.
Jack Watson was in his apartment on the 13th floor when he was awakened by the sound of a crash.
The paramedic compared the sound to “a plane crashing or a car bomb”.
Jack rushed to help, but stated that David was showing “clear signs of brain injury, he was not conscious” and had no pulse.
The 53-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene, while Clayton died four days later at Aintree University Hospital, where he was in intensive care.
The Unity building is a 27-storey residential block with 161 apartments, with a 16-storey tower consisting of office space.
Shanee Tatton, who lives in an apartment on the 21st floor, explained how the two appeared outside her window before they were tragically killed.
She said David was “making me laugh” before the two began drilling the exterior of the building.
Shanee added that she was in an online meeting when she heard “a loud sound that sounded like something falling and crashing at a high speed, like a sound I’ve never heard before.”
Thomas Blanchfield was in a law office next to the tower when the two men fell.
In his statement, he explained that he saw David trying to grab onto something before the platform started to fall.
The witness added that he saw both David and Clayton seemingly preparing before hearing several “loud clicks”, after which the platform descended about a foot before freefalling.
“It was a noise like a Catherine wheel or a zip wire,” his statement read.
Thomas added: “I was yelling ‘the baskets are down.’
“I didn’t see him hit the floor, but I heard a thump and I could see him bounce a floor and a half.”
Laura Hampton, who was in the same office building, recalled how people who saw the father and son fall started “screaming”.
The investigation, which is currently underway, is expected to last seven days.
Categories: Optical Illusion
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