INVESTIGATIONS are under way after a man was crushed to death at a DIY warehouse in Halton.
Twenty-five-year-old John Rowland was working a night shift when he suffered a blow to the chest from a falling wooden pallet on Wednesday night.
Health and Safety chiefs from Halton Borough Council have been assisting police in assessing exactly what happened at Tibbett & Britten on the Whitehouse Industrial Estate in Preston Brook.
Paramedics arrived at about 9.30pm to find Mr Rowlands had sustained serious injuries.
He was taken to Warrington General Hospital but died in the early hours of Thursday morning. Tibbett & Britten is a logistics company which distributes DIY material to B&Q stores across Cheshire and Merseyside.
A spokesman for Tibbett & Britten said: 'We can confirm that a tragic accident occurred at our Preston Brook site when a loaded pallet toppled on to a warehouseman, John Rowland, who sustained serious injuries.
'Mr Rowland was taken to hospital at 9.30pm, but died in the early hours of the morning.
'We now have a team on site, including our national Health and Safety manager. The Environmental Health Officer will be visiting and the police are present. Our thoughts are with Mr Rowland's family at this terrible time.
'A full investigation started immediately.' A spokeswoman for B&Q said: 'The depot only stores our equipment but is run by Tibbett & Britten. We are saddened to hear of this tragic accident and our thoughts are with his family.'
A spokesman for Cheshire Constabulary said: 'Cheshire police were heavily involved during the initial stages of the operation to ensure there were no suspicious circumstances. The investigation is now largely being taken up by the Health and Safety Executive of the local authority.'
An inquest was opened but adjourned this week.
