Roofer lost helmet in fatal fall, court hears

A roofer sustained catastrophic injuries when he fell almost three metres from a ladder in a workplace accident at Cork Institute of Technology.

Father of two, Billy Tubritt, 58, from Gurtins, Saltmills, Co Wexford, lost his safety helmet as he fell from the top of a ladder on Nov 25, 2013.

His colleague Aidan Codd told how the workmen were preparing to disassemble scaffolding when the accident happened.

“I heard a noise, like the scaffolding moving. I turned around straight away and I could see Billy falling,” Mr Codd said in his statement.

He said Mr Tubritt fell awkwardly and landed on the “top part of his back and both his legs went over his head.”

“I froze for a split second, expecting him to get up, but when he didn’t I went over to him but didn’t hear him breathing,” Mr Codd said.

Cork City Coroner’s Court heard how Mr Tubritt had climbed the ladder wearing his safety helmet and a harness, but the harness was not clipped on to an anchor point.

Mr Codd said Mr Tubritt’s helmet “just came off,” adding under questioning from Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane that only in very windy conditions would the workmen wear chin straps.

Garda Kay Griffin responded to an emergency call at 10.30am. She said Mr Tubritt was lying on the ground and emergency services were on the scene.

“He was clearly in a distressed state, he was shouting but I could not make sense of what he was saying,” she said.

Mr Tubritt sustained catastrophic head injuries. He died at Cork University Hospital the following day, of traumatic brain injury.