Poor planning, unsafe equipment and incompetence by colleagues caused the death of young man who was hit in the face by a manhole cover, an inquest ruled.

Daniel Yeowell, 26, of Zetland Avenue, Gillingham, was taken to hospital with a serious head injury when he was hit while working at a primary school. He died three days later.

A jury heard how Mr Yeowell, a former pupil of St John Fisher Catholic School in Chatham, had been working for Hague Construction Industries when the driver of an excavator lifted a manhole cover to put it in place but hit his colleague.

Following the accident, on October 4, 2013, teachers at the school reportedly pulled blinds to shield the pupils from seeing attempts to treat the fatally injured man.

At the inquest, the jury were asked to agree on a series of 12 questions and Penelope Schofield, the coroner, recorded a narrative verdict of their answers.

They agreed Mr Yeowell’s injuries were accidental - “the unintended consequences of a deliberate act” – but found shortcomings across the whole construction job.

The impact of being hit by the cover, at Langley Green Primary School in Crawley, caused severe injuries to Mr Yowell’s head and face.

It was unclear whether the manhole cover had become detached from the excavator.

"Danny was loved, adored and spoiled by all. He had a good relationship with both his brother and sister. He really enjoyed working in the industry and made many friends..." - Danny Yeowell (father)

But when asked if it was likely the lifting equipment used on the day was unsafe, the jurors said “yes”.

His co-workers Kevin Foster and Ryan Davies were also found not to be “competent” for their roles “taking into account their knowledge, experience, training and skills”.

This was agreed as a second relevant factor into Mr Yeowell’s death.

On the question of whether the entire operation was appropriately planned by Hague, the jury agreed it was not.

The low level of supervision on the site was also decided as a fourth factor leading to his death.

Mr Yeowell was flown by air ambulance to the Royal London Hospital in London. Since his death friends and family have raised £6,650 for the air ambulance.

On the donation page is it written: “The air ambulance gave Danny every chance of survival after the accident. Thank you for everyone who has donated and the lovely messages left for Danny.”

A statement from Mr Yeowell’s father, also called Danny, was read out on his behalf at the inquest, reported the Crawley News.

He said: “Danny was loved, adored and spoiled by all. He had a good relationship with both his brother (Jack) and sister (Ella).

“He really enjoyed working in the industry and made many friends. It was overwhelming for us as a family to receive so many kind words and to have hundreds of people attend his funeral.

Mr Yeowell added that he hopes rules in the construction industry will be improved. “We want changes to be made to health and safety rules,” he said.

“We want to avoid another fatal accident and for families not to go through what we have. He (Danny) had a life to live and was working hard. Now he is gone.”

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