Everton stadium engineer died after being crushed, inquest told

The court heard the lifelong Everton fan's middle name was Goodison, after the club's existing stadium

An engineer was caught between a ladder and a beam and suffered fatal head injuries while working on Everton's new stadium, an inquest has heard.

Liverpool Coroners' Court heard Michael Jones died after being injured at Bramley-Moore Dock on 14 August.

Senior coroner Andre Rebello said Merseyside Police and the Health and Safety Executive's investigation of the 26-year-old's death was "very complex".

Adjourning the inquest, he said that investigation would "take some time".

He said Mr Jones, who was a ventilation engineer from Kirkby, had been "operating a machine commonly known as a scissor ladder" when he became caught between it and "the beam above him".

The coroner said Mr Jones had been working on the site for Mersey Vent Ltd

He said the lifelong Everton fan, whose middle name was Goodison after the club's existing stadium, had been wearing a hard hat, which was damaged in the incident.

"A colleague noticed Michael's lift had stopped," the coroner said.

"He climbed on to Michael's lift and moved it forward.

"This released Michael and... revealed severe head injuries."

He said Mr Jones, who had been working on the site for ductwork manufacturer and installer Mersey Vent Ltd, was "lifted to the ground and provided with first aid until an ambulance arrived".

He was then transported to Aintree Hospital "where tragically he was certified as having died", the coroner said.

Everton fans held a minute's applause for Mr Jones before the game with Wolves at Goodison Park on Saturday

He said a post-mortem examination had been carried out and a report from the pathologist would be available after toxicology results, which he added was "taken routinely" after a death such as Mr Jones's.

"I don't think there is any concern there may have been any substances in Mr Jones at the time of the incident," he said.

The inquest was told that Mr Jones had three older sisters and came from a family of Everton supporters.

His family, who have described him as "popular and generous", were not at the hearing, which lasted 10 minutes.

A pre-inquest review hearing will be held on 29 February 2024.