7:00pm Tuesday 10th June 2008
By Jane Reader
A POPULAR father-of-two died after plunging through a roof light as he did casual work for a Longham company, an inquest heard.
Carl Pearson suffered massive head injuries in the tragic accident on December 1 last year.
And the boss of the company employing him at the time has admitted he had no health and safety training and that he relied on Mr Pearson to assess the risks of the job.
Jeremy Walton, managing director of Cladcoat, told the Bournemouth inquest he realises now he should have taken responsibility but added: "I was not a roofing expert.
"Carl said they would only be up there for a couple of hours."
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive, which has the power to bring criminal proceedings, is still ongoing, district coroner Sheriff Payne was told.
An inquest jury, sitting at Bournemouth town hall, was told Mr Pearson, 42, was an experienced roof worker who knew the risks involved with translucent roof lights.
But he fell through as he worked with friend and colleague Guy Blake at a factory unit in Wharfdale Road, Bournemouth, on the morning of December 1 last year.
Mr Blake told the inquest he and Mr Pearson were replacing the roof lights and that he had his back to him at the time of the accident.
"I heard a crack and when I turned round he had disappeared - he did not shout."
Mr Pearson was taken to Poole Hospital's intensive treatment unit but failed to regain consciousness and was pronounced dead the following morning.
His organs were donated and have transformed the lives of three people so far, the inquest was told.
A 12-year-old girl received his liver, a 44-year-old woman was given a kidney and his pancreas and a 46-year-old woman also received a kidney.
After the inquest, Mr Pearson's mum, Patricia Morgan, said: "He will be sadly missed by his two children, Luke, 14, and nine-year-old Abbie and by his mother, father, brothers, aunt, uncle and brother-in-law whom he was very close to.
"Carl was a local man and was well respected by his many friends and work colleagues."
She said her son, the eldest of four boys, moved to Bournemouth when he was 18 after falling in love with the town during a holiday.
He was married for 14 years but was separated from his wife and living with his aunt and uncle, Shirley and Dave, in Pitt House, Hurn, at the time of his death.
"We are just upset that we will never know why and how he fell," she added.
"No one seems to be able to answer that question."
Mrs Morgan said: "We have heard from the woman who received his kidney and pancreas and she thanked the family.
"She said she can live a completely healthy life now so at least some good has come out of all this."
The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.
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