A retired Blenheim man crushed to death while fixing a campervan had used a light vehicle jack, makeshift chocks and did not have support blocks under the back of the vehicle, a coroner says.
The coroner found David Matthew Andrews, 58, died of asphyxiation on March 27, 2009, when his chest was crushed by the three-tonne 1988 Daihatsu campervan he was working under.
The finding by coroner Sue Johnson, of Christchurch, said Mr Andrews' death could have been avoided if he had taken more safety precautions.
She found Mr Andrews used the wrong type of car jack and did not have support blocks under the campervan that were independent of the jacks and axle stands he used.
Mr Andrews, who was working on his own, had placed makeshift blocks on the front wheels of the vehicle but not the back, she said.
Although the handbrake was on, the caravan was not in gear so the handbrake was ineffective when the back wheels were raised off the ground.
Mr Andrews was under the rear of his campervan and was trapped when the car jacks and axle stands fell over.
He had removed the right rear wheel and was reaching into a space under the vehicle when it began to move on the supports.
Neighbours called police just before 12.30pm after they heard Mr Andrew call out.
He was found trapped under the rear right side of the van. He died at the scene despite attempts by paramedics to save him.
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