Industry

Fatal skip lorry incident at Plymouth hospital

A 57-year-old Viridor collections services driver was killed at 07:15 yesterday (8 June) after trying to control a runaway lorry in the grounds of Plymouth’s Derriford Hospital.

The driver, who is expected to be named shortly, was pronounced dead at the scene following the incident that appears not to have involved any other vehicles or people.

Local newspaper, the Plymouth Herald, reports a policeman on the scene as saying: “There has been an incident here involving a skip lorry where the trailer, for reasons that we are investigating, has rolled away while the driver has been out of the vehicle.

“It would appear the driver has attempted to stop the lorry rolling away, has fallen, and unfortunately he appears to have been run over by his own lorry.

“We are investigating the cause as to why the lorry should have moved with him out of the cab.”

Viridor has stated that it is working closely with the authorities as a full investigation gets underway.

The company has expressed that its ‘deepest sympathies are with the driver’s family, friends and colleagues’.

Glasgow City crash

The incident comes just six months after an ‘out of control’ Glasgow City Council bin lorry collided with pedestrians on Glasgow’s Queen Street in December 2014, killing six and injuring 10 others.