Attacked man returns to work and dies
A man who had just returned to work after suffering a brutal attack outside a South Auckland takeaway shop more than a month ago has died in a workplace accident.
Leslie David Remuera Laing, 28, died on Monday afternoon at a timber exporting business in Mangere.
His devastated family are now preparing for his funeral in Napier, his eight siblings gathering from as far away as Perth.
Dad Doug Laing described a compassionate, hard-working young father who just wanted to get back to work to support his kids.
It was Les’ first day back on the job after being off work for five weeks due to injuries suffered when he was beaten up by a stranger on July 31 as he was going to buy dinner from Ezmeralda’s Cafe in Papakura.
Laing has been told a man was arrested and pleaded guilty to a charge of common assault. He is set to appear for sentencing at Papakura District Court later this month.
Meanwhile Les had been keen to get off ACC and start earning again for his family, Laing said.
He was still processing his son’s death and trying to find out more information about what happened.
“It involved heavy machinery of some sort. He was effectively run over by the sound of it or struck by heavy machinery.” He did not know what happened next.
“All I was told is they got him to [Middlemore] Hospital and were unable to revive him.”
Police said the circumstances of Les’ death were being investigated and had been referred to WorkSafe NZ and the Coroner’s office.
WorkSafe confirmed it was investi- gating a fatal incident at a lumber yard in Auckland but could not comment further. Investigations could take up to a year.
An autopsy is to be carried out today before Les is taken back to Napier where his funeral will be held at Pukemokimoki Marae.
Laing said his son had been living in Papakura with partner Yvonne Atkins and two of his four young children, as well as two of hers.
He had moved up from Hamilton a year ago to take a job as a log scaler at a timber plant on Savill Drive in Mangere.
Laing visited the timber plant yesterday and spoke with his son’s colleagues, who had been through a “pretty horrible” experience.
“He was very much enjoying working there by the sound of things,” he said. “He was described as a real asset to the staff. They basically saw him going a long way in the industry.”
He could dish out “a bit of cheek” but “wherever he was at work, he was a very hard worker”.
“People used to remark about how much compassion he had for others. He had a sense of justice even as a young kid,” Laing said. “It’s just a devastating situation.”