THE FAMILY of an engineer who died after falling down a lift shaft hope lessons will be learnt following his death.
James Merritt, of Cherry Lane in Hampton Magna, tumbled down the empty shaft of a passenger lift while working at Telent Technologies in Warwick.
The dad-of-two was inspecting lifts at the three-storey building when he died on October 11 last year.
Jurors at the inquest – held at Warwickshire Coroner’s Court – heard how lighting in the lift shaft was poor and there were a number of trip hazards.
A pathologist reported Mr Merritt had suffered a severe head injury with multiple skull fractures.
Jurors concluded 39 year-old Mr Merritt died after falling down the lift shaft. His death was ruled as misadventure.
After the verdict, a spokeswoman from Leamington-based law firm Wright Hassall – which represented Mr Merritt’s family – said: “James was much loved and our thoughts are with his wife and their two young children and the rest of the family.
“This has been an extremely difficult time for James’ family. The evidence we heard at the inquest into James’ death, revealed many serious shortcomings which exposed James to unnecessary danger.
“The family hope that the other parties represented at the inquest will carefully consider everything that has been said to ensure that such a tragedy can never happen again.”
Mr Merritt had been with wife Kimberley for 13 years, and she spoke of the family’s loss.
She said: “James was a kind, caring and intelligent man who was loved by all who knew him. He was hardworking, diligent and always gave his best in everything he did.
“James adored his two children and he would be extremely proud of the legacy he has left behind in them.
“James devoted his career to ensuring that people were safe and this tragic incident has taken him from us all too soon. Our lives, and indeed the lives of others are a lesser place because of this.”
