Gran, 56, killed when remote-controlled gate weighing a third of a ton fell on her in front of her granddaughter
Jill Lunn died in a 'wholly preventable tragedy' as heavy iron gate was not fitted with safety stoppers, a court heard
A GRANDMOTHER was crushed to death in a "wholly preventable tragedy" by a heavy iron gate that was not fitted with safety stoppers, a court heard.
Jill Lunn, 56, was killed when the remote-controlled gate weighing a third of a ton fell on her as she returned home with her granddaughter.
She tried to get the motor-powered gate to close automatically but when it would not work, she pushed and pulled it, causing it to fall from its tracks.
Norwich Crown Court heard how the tragedy in April 2013 came just over a month after the gate was installed at a cost of £10,300.
The automatic mechanism failed within weeks and gate fitter Robert Churchyard, 51, was called back to the house to fix it on March 26.
He left after 13 minutes when it appeared to be working again, a jury heard.
Mrs Lunn, who lived with her daughter Jayne and son-in-law Christopher Shannon in Blofield Heath, Norfolk, was killed as she returned from picking up her granddaughter from school.
The gate was open and she drove into the drive, leaving the child in the car as she got out to close it.
Prosecutor Andrew Jackson told the court: "She tried to get the gate to close automatically but it wouldn't work.
"And so she overrode the automatic mechanism on the motor and began to pull that heavy iron gate closed along its track.
"It gathered momentum on the track, she pulled and pushed it and tragically we see as the gate closed to its full extent it fell.
"Tragically that third of a ton gate fell directly upon Mrs Lunn and it crushed her to death.
"That tragedy, the prosecution say, could have been prevented by means of simple stop devices attached to the gate or track upon which it ran."
Jurors saw CCTV footage showing Mrs Lunn pulling the 12ft wide gate shut across a large paved driveway, surrounded by high brick walls. It cut away as the gate began to fall.
Mrs Lunn died of a heart attack after being crushed by the weight of the gate and was discovered by a passerby, the court heard.
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Mr Jackson said when the gate was used automatically there was no danger, it was only when it was operated manually that it became "dangerous" as there were no stops to prevent it from running off the rails.
Churchyard, who had been in the job for 20 years, denies charges of manslaughter by gross negligence and of an employee breaching general duty at work.
Mr Jackson said: "This defendant Robert Churchyard, a fitter with many years experience, it was he who obtained all the necessary parts of the gate and it was he who fitted the gate.
"However he failed, we say, to fit any stops to the gate and on the track upon which it ran to prevent it from coming off its track when it was operated manually.
"That meant that when the gate was operated manually the third of a ton iron gate was wholly unstable.
"As the person who had fitted the gate Robert Churchyard offered a duty of care to those who live at Willow House to ensure their safety.
"He breached that duty of care by failing to fit even the most basic of simple buffer stops."
Mr Jackson added: "Fitting stops to the gate on the tracks was a matter of pure common sense for any experienced fitter."
Churchyard, of Norwich, was an employee of Norwich-based company Automated Garage Doors & Gates Ltd at the time of the incident.
The firm has previously pleaded guilty to three health and safety offences in relation to the fatal accident.
Churchyard claimed in a police interview he had fitted a temporary bracket to align the lengths of the track while it set in concrete, the court heard.
But the prosecution say there were no signs that such a bracket had been fitted.
The trial, set to last two weeks, continues.
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