Workers were "under pressure" to complete work ahead of Chiswick election at site where lamp post fell on a baby

 
“Extra special”: Chris Hollis pictured with son Tommy
15 May 2012

Workers on the construction site where a lamp post fell, fatally injuring a baby boy, were "under pressure" to get the job done quickly, an inquest heard today.

A steel plate supporting the lamp post was inadvertently severed during the excavation works being carried out in Chiswick, west London, in February 2010.

Five days later, the lamp post toppled over and struck Tommy Hollis as he slept in his pushchair, causing his devastating head injuries. He died in hospital 48 hours later, on the eve of his first birthday.

Amin Sinani, a senior consultant with Aecom which was tasked to design the road re-widening scheme near Chiswick Town Hall by the London Borough of Hounslow, said he had an email from the council stressing the importance of the work being done promptly.

West London Coroner's Court was told that the council's head of transport expressed "the growing concern, with this being a civic site and the election approaching".

The email continued that the council was "very relieved" that Virgin Media was on site, as its underground cables needed to be moved as part of the scheme.

Asked by Owain Thomas, counsel for Tommy's parents Chris and Kate Hollis, if he was "under pressure to complete this project quickly", Mr Sinani replied: "The site had been excavated for a long time. In that sense, yes, there was some sort of pressure to deliver the work on time."

Asked if the local authority was expecting him to "exert pressure on Virgin Media to get on with it", Mr Sinani replied: "Yes".

At the time engineer Kelvin Elmore cut through the steel plate holding the lamp post up, wrongly believing it to be part of an old tram line, a full excavation of the site was being carried out in a bid to avoid any further delays, the inquest heard.

The trench ran on either side of the lamp post.

Mr Elmore, who was working for construction firm McNicholas, contracted by Virgin Media to move their cables, was trying to get the steel plate out of the way, believing it to be an obstruction to the works. He was not able to remove it, however.

He is still employed by the firm, although an internal investigation found him guilty of gross misconduct.

When asked if there was any consideration given to nearby structures, including the lamp post, when the decision was made to dig the trench, Mr Sinani replied: "No".

The lamp post had been due to be removed as part of the works and moved to the other side of the road, the inquest jury heard.

Tommy was air-lifted to hospital after the accident on the morning of February 23, 2010, when his nanny had been taking him to a coffee shop from his parents' Chiswick home. His brain injuries were so serious he could not survive them.

Mr and Mrs Hollis set up the Tommy Hollis Children's Fund after their baby's death.

A message on the charity's website reads: "Tommy was a happy, smiley boy who spread joy to everyone he met and we would like to do something in his honour to spread the joy he gave us."

The couple, who live in Chiswick, had a second son, Jack, last September.

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