Mechanic crushed to dying by personal automotive as he labored on it in road

Daniel Burton was found trapped under the vehicle and died despite the best efforts of neighbours who tried to lift the car off him, and of the emergency services who rushed to the scene

A mechanic working on his own vehicle was fatally crushed when the axle stand he was using gave way, an inquest has been told. Daniel Burton was discovered pinned beneath the car and despite valiant attempts by neighbours who tried to raise the vehicle from him, and emergency crews who raced to the scene, his life could not be saved.

The father-of-two was just 27. An inquest into Mr Burton’s death conducted at Swansea’s Guildhall court was told that the Port Talbot man was devoted to football – turning out for several clubs including, most recently, Cilfrew – and devoted to motors.

As a youngster he was characterised as “happy go lucky” and “a likeably cheeky chap” and as someone who favoured hands-on work over desk-based tasks, reports Wales Online.

Following his departure from St Joseph’s School, the Cardiff City supporter trained as a motor technician and at the time of his death was employed at KandJ Motors in Pencoed and was merely a week away from achieving his MoT testing qualification.

He was portrayed in court as a “devoted” partner and father, and it was stated that “becoming a father was the making of Daniel”.

The court was told that on the day in question – January 22 this year – Mr Burton attended college where he was pursuing his MoT qualification then accompanied his partner and children to Swansea’s Penlan Leisure Centre before the family returned to his partner’s residence on Southall Avenue in Skewen. Despite the late hour and darkness, Mr Burton was reportedly eager to begin work on his Audi A3, having just received the part he needed for the repair.

The court heard that several passers-by later reported seeing Mr Burton working under the car. The Audi was elevated on the driver’s side and its rear wheels had been removed.

Mr Burton could be seen lying on his back with his torso and head under the car and his legs protruding.

The inquest heard one passer-by say she thought the car looked unsafe and wondered whether she should stop and say something but decided the mechanic underneath would not appreciate the comment.

Mr Burton’s body was discovered around 6.30pm by a woman who was driving around the streets of Skewen with her sister looking for her recently stolen car.

The inquest heard the woman stopped to ask the man under the A3 whether he had seen anything but she got no response from him – realising what had happened she raised the alarm. A neighbour rushed to the scene and used a jack to try and lift the car off his friend, and Mr Burton’s partner was informed about what had happened.

Emergency services were alerted and firefighters, paramedics and police officers quickly arrived at the scene. Mr Burton was declared dead at the location at 6.53pm and an inquiry was launched.

A search of the area revealed a jack and one axle stand lying on its side beneath the vehicle with another axle stand still in its packaging. The police inquiry found no suspicious circumstances.

The inquest heard that a post-mortem examination was conducted on Mr Burton and the cause of death was established to be traumatic asphyxiation, also known as “crush asphyxiation”.

Coroner Colin Phillips said Mr Burton was a qualified mechanic who was working on his car which was parked on a sloped street. He said it appeared that, due to the nature of the sloped street, the axle stand slipped and trapped the father-of-two underneath the vehicle.

A finding of accidental death was recorded. The coroner offered his sympathies to the family of Mr Burton in court and said he was certain the mechanic was “much much loved and sorely missed”.

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