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Inquest jury hears of how wall collapse killed local builder
The death of a builder in Stourbridge has been declared ‘accidental death’ by an inquest jury. The verdict follows a three week hearing into the death of Mr Jeff Blent, a builder from Kidderminster.
Mr Blent died after a wall collapsed during conversion of premises into a JD Wetherspoon wine bar in Stourbridge High Street on July 23, 2004. The wall was being demolished by hand at the time of the collapse.
The contractors were dismantling three walls to a height of 3m and planned to rebuild the structures which would be able to sustain the weight of two extra storeys.
Comment: The five year delay between the death and inquest seems surprising. Such delays are not condusive to reliable witness evidence or the need for closure for relatives and others. Reforms to the Coroner system will hopefully improve matters in future.