Family win battle to see Goodyear papers detailing tyre tester’s death
THE grieving widow of a father who died after falling 20 metres in a motorbike tragedy in Spain has gone to court to get answers over this death from Midland tyre giant Goodyear Dunlop.
Mark Sears, from Sutton Coldfield, was giving a tyre demonstration on the Costa del Sol when his bike left the road.
His widow said the 42-year-old was “exhausted and under a lot of stress” and claimed the April 2016 trip, from which he said he had asked to be excused, carried “risks”.
Mrs Sears, who did not want to give her first name, said: “It is still hard to believe Mark has gone and I remain completely devastated about losing him.
“He was a wonderful husband and father, we are lost without him.
“It has been a very difficult three years for the entire family and while nothing will ever bring Mark back, we are hopeful that obtaining more answers to the questions that we have regarding his death will help us come to terms with the loss.
Mrs Sears spoke after her lawyers, Irwin Mitchell, secured a court ruling ordering the tyre manufacturer to disclose documents in relation to the incident.
She accused the firm of dragging its feet over providing details.
She added: “I cannot understand why a full independent investigation was not carried out at the time or why Goodyear has not provided the basic documents requested to help with the legal investigation. It is welcome that the legal battle has taken a step forward, but our wider hope is that lessons will be learned from Mark’s death.
“I hope employers think twice before allowing high-risk work trips such as this, in the hope a similar incident never happens again.”
Mr Sears was a senior employee and well-respected figure in the motorbiking world. He had worked at Goodyear for more than 27 years.
During the visit to Nerja, a resort town on the Costa del Sol, the group undertook an off-road trail riding day to demonstrate Goodyear tyre products to a client.
Mr Sears was seen falling by another rider and was taken to Velez, around 50 minutes away.
But the hospital there did not have the expertise to treat his serious injuries so a transfer to Malaga was arranged, according to the law firm. Mr Sears died from his injuries.
His widow said: “Mark should not have been sent on this trip. He was exhausted and under a lot of stress at work. He had asked to be excused from the trip and his request was denied. It clearly carried risks.
“It was around 5pm when another rider saw Mark drift to the side of the road and fall around 15 to 20 metres.
“He was initially still conscious and was taken to hospital by Land Rover where it became apparent he’d suffered major injuries.”
Following the tragedy, Mrs Sears instructed Irwin Mitchell’s specialist international serious injury team to investigate the events that led to her husband’s death.
Court proceedings were brought against Goodyear, including a legal submission for documents held by the company that was first made through the courts more than two years ago.
Chrissie Wolfe, the specialist international lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Mrs Sears said: “Almost three years on from Mark’s death, the Sears family are understandably still attempting to come to terms with their loss.
“Following the inquest, questions remained unanswered about the circumstances surrounding Mark’s death and, after correspondence with Goodyear did not result in any further answers, we were left with no choice but to apply to court and request the judge order the release of vital documents.
“We were successful at the hearing and are now focused on doing everything we can to ensure the family get the justice they deserve regarding Mark’s tragic death.”
A spokesperson for Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK Ltd said: “We continue to support the case of our lost colleague, Mark Sears, and our thoughts remain with his family.”
He was a wonderful husband and father, we are lost without him
Mark Sears’ wife