Kentish Express Ashford & District
Driver dies after getting trapped by lorry in lane
‘I find this was a case of misadventure, which is not a finding that I make often...’
A heavy goods driver died after being pinned between a lorry and a wall, an inquest has heard.
Teofil Bunea, 56, died of multiple injuries following the incident on a country road in Sevington in December.
An inquest into his death at Archbishop’s Palace in Maidstone on Monday found he had been trying to guide an HGV around a tight corner when he became trapped between the trailer and the wall of a bridge.
The tragic accident occurred when Mr Bunea had been riding as a passenger in the lorry with his colleague Costica Munteanu, having made a delivery of strawberries in Maidstone.
The pair had come over from Bordeaux and were due to stop off at the lorry park in Sevington ahead of their return, but - guided by Mr Munteanu’s satnav - they took a wrong turn just before the roundabout.
This diversion took them down a series of country roads that were signposted as being unsuitable for large vehicles, until they reached the bridge at Cheeseman’s Green Lane at about 7.45pm.
There, they met another HGV coming in the opposite direction at the bridge, which went over railway tracks.
Mr Munteanu, who like Mr Bunea was Romanian-born but lived in Spain, got out to guide the other goods vehicle back to a place where their lorry could get past.
Mr Bunea then got out to guide his friend through the turning process as he tried to get around the sharp left-hand bend after the bridge.
The court heard that Mr Munteanu told his colleague to stay in front of the lorry to avoid slipping into a blind-spot, however lost sight of him while turning.
It was then that he heard a scream and got out to find Mr Bunea lying on the road on the right-hand side of the lorry.
The 56-year-old was helped back into the cab by his colleague and the driver of the other vehicle and the pair drove on for several more miles before stopping and calling for an ambulance.
Mr Bunea’s death was confirmed at 11.08pm.
Mr Munteanu was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving but after an investigation no charges were brought.
A post-mortem revealed Mr Bunea sustained multiple fractures, including to his arms and ribs, with internal bruising and disruption to the spleen.
Assistant coroner Katrina Hepburn said it was clear the injuries were “not survivable”.
“I find that this was a case of misadventure, which is not a finding that I make often,” she continued.
“However it is clear that Mr Bunea did not realise the injuries that could occur from moving where he evidently did in relation to the lorry.”