Dad dies on first day back at work

‘‘He was described as a real asset to the staff. They basically saw him going a long way in the industry. People used to remark about how much compassion he had for others. It's just a devastating situation.’’

A man has died on his first day back at a south Auckland timber yard, having just recovered from the assault which kept him out of work.

Leslie David Remuera Laing was knocked out in a one-punch attack while getting his dinner from a cafe in July.

The young father died on Monday in a workplace accident - his first day back on the job, NZME reports.

The assault by a stranger outside Papakura’s Ezmeralda Cafe on July 31 had ruled him out of work at a Mangere timber exporting firm.

Laing was keen to get back on the job and start earning for his family again, his dad Doug Laing told NZME. But now his devastated family are preparing for his funeral in Napier. Doug described his son was a compassionate, hard-working young father.

He believed his son’s death involved heavy machinery, but was still processing the devastating incident.

‘‘All I was told is they got him to [Middlemore] Hospital and were unable to revive him,’’ his father said.

Police were investigating the circumstances of Les’ death. WorkSafe confirmed it was investigating a fatal incident at a timber yard in Auckland but could not comment further.

Investigations could take up to a year. Laing was living in Papakura with his partner Yvonne Atkins and four young children. He grew up in Napier and moved from Hamilton to take a job as a log scaler at a timber plant on Savill Dr in Mangere. He was a student at Napier Boys’ High School and represented the city in the Ross Shield rugby tournament alongside Zac Guildford and Daniel Kirkpatrick.

Doug visited the Mangere timber yard where his son’s colleagues said they had been through a ‘‘pretty horrible’’ experience, he told NZME.

‘‘He was described as a real asset to the staff. They basically saw him going a long way in the industry. People used to remark about how much compassion he had for others. He had a sense of justice even as a young kid. It’s just a devastating situation.’’