A MUM tragically discovered her son’s body after he was killed in freak woodwork accident, a court heard.
Susan and Peter Holmes returned home to find their son Joey, 23, lying “face down” at their home in Upper Cumberworth, Yorks.
2A mum returned home to find her son lying ‘face down’ with fatal injuries after being hit by piece of woodCredit: MEN Media
2Joey was hit by a piece of wood in the freak accidentCredit: MEN MediaAn inquest heard he had been using a powerful Coronet Envoy machine when a piece of wood flew out and hit him in the face.
Joey was sadly pronounced dead later the same day in hospital.
A coroner heard the young man was using the lathe to support a wood working business he had started a year earlier – Holme Valley Woodworks Limited.
Sheffield’s Medico-Legal Centre heard how Susan discovered her son as she brought him a takeaway curry on returning home from a meal with her husband Peter and their friends around 9pm.
She described in a statement read out in court “nudging his head” with her foot, initially believing Joey was “playing a prank”.
Susan said: “I got no response and screamed for Peter and put him in recovery position. There was a gash to the lest side of his nose. Pete started CPR.”
The court heard Joey’s frantic mum took over as his father ran to get help from a neighbour – an intensive care nurse who took over with resuscitation attempts.
However after paramedics arrived and rushed Joey to Barnsley Hospital his parents were told their son had died.
“We worked on Joey for what seemed like ages,” said Susan. “We arrived at hospital and waited in the relatives room and then were told he had passed away.”
Speaking about her son, Susan said: “I loved him more than life – we had our own language. We played pranks on each other. We weren’t like a normal mother and son. We had been backpacking together. When this happened I knew he was gone.
“He loved his business and posted a lot about it on social media.”
She told how on the day of his death Joey seemed “very happy” with his craft and loved doing woodwork.
During today’s inquest pathologist Dr Kim Suvarna told Coroner Mrs Katy Dickinson the cause of death was blunt head trauma.
Describing the case as “strange” he said: “It seemed that the machine threw something into the face of this young man – but the facial trauma was not at the level capable of killing someone.
“However, it seems the blow to the head could render someone unconscious and cause him to lose control of his airway.
“It’s possible he lost control of his airway. It’s not unreasonable to link the machine and the trauma to this man’s death.”
His father Peter said in his statement how Joey worked “all hours” in his workshop and often “late into the night”.
One of the couples’ neighbours described Joey as “a genuinely nice person and very considerate”.
The inquest continues.
Story Credit: thesun.co.uk