Horror moment man killed instantly when he fell into industrial shredder while trying to unblock it
THIS is the horror moment a man was crushed to death five years ago in an industrial shredder.
David Willis’ death was caught on shocking CCTV footage when he fell into the industrial shredder at work in Wolverhampton.
His family has also spoken for the first time, saying the man’s unfortunate death is “as painful” now as it was then.
Willis, a 29-year-old, fell into a shredder designed for wood and commercial waste on September 15 2018, when he tried to clear a blockage while it was still running.
His body was never found, with the court hearing the machine’s contents at the time of his death were taken to a landflill.
The grainy footage shows a JCB digger lifting Willis up onto the shredder, which he then disappears into.
The manager of the yard then looks into the shredder a short time later and then can be seen pacing around as he tries to phone Willis.
Willis’s family have now spoken out following a trial into his death: “David’s death is as painful for us now as it was five years ago.
“David has missed out on so many treasured family moments, including the birth of his niece and the growing up of his nephew, who still treats David as his superhero in the sky.”
Timmins Waste Services and yard manager Brian Timmins, who was operating the shredder at the time, were found guilty of corporate manslaughter and manslaughter respectively at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Wednesday.
The court heard Timmins was operating the shredder when it stopped “abruptly”.
After investigating the machine, he used a digger to lift Mr Willis on top and inside to see what the problem was.
Prosecutor Christine Agnew KC said CCTV evidence showed the machine was still operational at the time but should have been turned off.
When Mr Willis disappeared inside the machine, Timmins was seen on CCTV looking around the yard and inside the shredder’s ‘hopper’, which guides the waste towards the machine’s blades, before calling Mr Willis’s phone.
He was then seen looking out the yard gates and running around the site, before returning to the digger and continuing to operate the shredder.
The next day, Timmins, and other employees who were working that day, loaded and disposed of 80 tonnes of recycled waste by taking it to a landfill site in Cannock, Staffordshire, which “must”, Ms Agnew said, have included Mr Willis’s remains.
West Midlands Police Detective Inspector Jim Colclough, who led the investigation, said: “We found major, systemic failings across TWS which meant workers were put at risk.
“Risk assessments were not done, and safe methods of working were simply not put in place.
“Timmins’ failure to lock off the shredder, and his decision to put Mr Willis in a position of danger, directly caused this tragedy.
“We spent many weeks searching the site at Cannock, but only found part of a tabard which may have belonged to David.
“The fact that we could not recover David has added to the anguish caused to his family, and denied them the chance to say goodbye to him with dignity.”