Justice for Ronnie who froze to death
Family’s heartbreak as worker dies from hypothermia
The heartbroken family of a doting grandfather who froze to death said they have justice after two firms were convicted over his death.
Worker Ronnie Alexander, 74, died at the Afton windfarm near New Cumnock in 2018 after being stranded during severe weather.
The security guard suffered hypothermia after his cabin generator failed, leaving him without electricity or heat.
Devastated widow Mary, 81, said: “Losing Ronnie was the hardest thing our family has experienced.
“He was loving, hardworking, kind spirited and he doted on his grandkids - that’s why he was still working in his 70s because he wanted to spoil his family.
“My husband died in
January 2018 and November of that year would have been our 50th wedding anniversary.
“To have lived through so much together and have him taken because his boss failed on basic, common sense procedures is just beyond us all.
“While we now know what happened that night, it pains us to imagine what Ronnie felt - not just the physical struggle but enduring it alone. Because of this, we’ll never really have peace or closure.”
The incident on January 21, 2018 occured after the Met Office issued a yellow ‘be aware’ warning for heavy snow.
The alarm was raised around 8.30pm after Mr Alexander failed to return home from a 12-hour shift and relatives failed to get an answer on his mobile phone.
Police Scotland’s mountain rescue team found Mr Alexander later that night around 1am in deep snow and nearly one mile away from his security cabin.
At this time, Mr Alexander still had signs of life and was airlifted to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary but medics only estimated a five per cent chance of survival.
Despite the efforts of intensive care staff, Mr Alexander died later that morning on January 22 - cause of death was confirmed as hypothermia.
It is thought Mr Alexander left his cabin to try and reach a second site cabin around one kilometre away in the hope it still had power so he could survive the night.
Employers CSM Facilities and wind farm bosses Farrans Construction were convicted last Thursday at Ayr Sheriff Court after admitting health and safety breaches. Relatives have now called on all industries to improve care and support measures for remote workers.
Ronnie, of Kilmarnock, is survived by his wife, two daughters and three grandsons who are being represented by Digby Brown Solicitors in the hope that a civil action will improve safety for all remote workers.
Daughter Laura Alexander, 48, said: “The only saving grace is that the rescuers found our dad and the hospital kept him alive long enough so he wasn’t alone at the very end and we got to say goodbye.
“We now just hope all industries, not just wind farms, who rely on remote workers take a hard look at themselves, their support procedures and back-up plans to make sure people are safe.”
The retail worker, from
Kilmarnock, added: “No other family should have to endure this trauma because it’s not just the loss that hurts - the aftermath brings its own agony.
“We finally just want to thank our family, friends and the community for their support but now request to be left alone.”
Mr Alexander was employed by CSM Facilities based in Glasgow. Belfast firm Farrans Construction- which was building the wind farm at the time of the incident - was responsible for the overall health and safety of the site.
Following Mr Alexander’s death, Farrans put a stop to night-time and weekend security work - instead they installed hi-tech electronic security devices.
A sentencing hearing will take place on Thursday, September 30.
He was loving, hardworking, kind spirited and he doted on his grandkids