Swans fan ‘stumbling’ before fall near lorry
A MAN died after “falling backwards underneath the wheels” of a lorry in Swansea city centre, an inquest has heard.
William Paul Brain, of Phillip Street in Manselton, died following the collision with a Scania lorry in Wellington Street, near Tesco, at 8.05pm on Monday, September 7.
The inquest, held at Swansea’s Guildhall yesterday, heard that the 56-year-old had “fallen or tripped” as the lorry, that was on its way to make a delivery at nearby Tesco, had passed him and as a result the “rear off-side wheels made contact with him”.
Mr Brain, known as Paul, was initially treated at the scene before being taken to Morriston Hospital with serious injuries. But he later died.
Described as a “massive” Swansea City fan, Mr Brain was a well-known face in the Manselton area of the city as his mother had run a shop, Margaret’s Newsagents, for many years.
He was
“devastated” and “lost his purpose in life” after losing his partner of five years in 2019 and when lockdown began he would go to Castle Square, in the city centre, to drink.
The inquest heard that Mr Brain, who had epilepsy since he was born, had a history of falling, having previously fractured his collarbone as the result of a fall, and had fallen in Castle Square a few weeks before his death.
On the day of the incident, a friend had described Mr Brain as being “very drunk” and “holding onto railings” after seeing him at the former Ice Bar in Wind Street, before walking towards Morgans Hotel.
South Wales Police collision investigator PC Dawn Griffiths told the inquest that the lorry had been travelling “at a very low speed” at the time of the incident.
Reading out a statement on behalf of the lorry driver, she said: “As I approached Wellington Street I could see a pedestrian.
“When I saw him he was positioned towards the middle of Wellington
Street so I slowed down even more.
“The pedestrian walked down the middle of the road towards my vehicle. He took to his right, heading towards the near side of my vehicle. I watched the man through the windscreen.
“When the road in front was clear I had gone forward when I noticed he was laying on the carriageway. I thought he had collapsed or tripped over.”
The inquest heard that witnesses of the incident described Mr Brain as “appearing drunk” and “stumbling” in the moments before the collision.
South Wales Police forensic investigator PC James Littlewood stated that the lorry had six exterior mirrors, as well as a camera system covering 360-degree angles, and had been travelling at around 7mph at the time. Mr Littlewood also confirmed that a mechanical investigation concluded that the lorry had no defects.
A toxicology report found that Mr Brain had been “severely intoxicated” with his alcohol levels more than three
times over the legal drink drive limit, while a postmortem examination report detailed that he died after suffering a neck injury during the incident.
Recording a conclusion of accidental death, senior coroner for Swansea and Neath Port Talbot Colin Phillips said: “He died as a result of injuries sustained
from falling backwards underneath the wheels of a HGV vehicle.
“The driver of the lorry had been travelling at a slow speed and there is no indication he contributed.
“Though he consumed a considerable amount of alcohol, it’s not possible to exclude other reasons as it could have been a seizure,
heart related or a trip.”
Speaking after the inquest, Mr Brain’s family said: “Thank you to the members of the public who stopped at the scene to assist Paul and to the emergency services for the assistance we have had from them.
“Now we can continue our grieving for Paul.”