A boy died after a wall he was helping his dad knock down at home collapsed on top of him, an inquest has heard. Scott-Swaley Stevens, 12, died at the scene in St John’s Road, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, on October 21. His father Scott Stevens was freed but suffered an injury to his arm.
Scott-Swaley’s mum, Charmaine Lee, rushed to the fire station next door, screaming, “Help, my baby is trapped”, Wednesday’s hearing in Chelmsford was told.
Essex senior coroner Lincoln Brookes concluded Scott-Swaley’s death was an “extraordinarily tragic accident”.
Mr Stevens told police, in a statement read by the coroner: “The wall fell onto us both after we had rocked it to push it over.
“I didn’t use any tools to complete this. It fell onto us within seconds which I couldn’t stop.”
Detective Inspector James Hardingham said police were called by the fire service at 6.56pm and Scott-Swaley was pronounced dead at the scene.
He said both the rear and front of the lean-to garage had already been removed, but one external wall was still left standing.
Det Insp Hardingham said: “They rocked the wall but, unfortunately, it rocked backwards onto them.”
He said Ms Lee’s daughter raised the alarm, going inside and shouting to her mother, “Help mum, daddy and Swaley are trapped under the wall”.
DI Hardingham added: “They went next door to the fire station to try to get help.”
He said the family had “bought the property to renovate and sell for a profit”.
The coroner said the home was “in the process of renovation and the family were largely staying in a caravan at the time”.
Mr Brookes said: “They were doing it themselves.”
He continued: “Following a fish and chip supper, Swaley and his father Scott went out it seems, and I find they went out to have a go at finishing the garage or at least to inspect what was due next.”
Mr Brookes recorded that Scott-Swaley died of compression asphyxia after the wall collapsed on them.
Mr Brookes said: “The weight of the wall put such pressure on his chest that his heart couldn’t work properly.
“His blood couldn’t reach his brain, he went unconscious and died.”
He said it was an “extraordinarily tragic accident”, adding: “He was a 12-year-old boy with his whole life ahead of him.”
