The parents of a drill rig worker who was killed on a remote Queensland mining site are hopeful a coroner's findings will bring an end to a nine-year battle for answers so they can start to properly grieve their son.
Gareth Dodunski was crushed by heavy duty hydraulic machinery, known as an ST80 Iron Roughneck, while working in the Surat Basin, north of Roma, in June 2013.
The ST80 had been activated by a driller, when it should not have, while Mr Dodunski was in an area deemed the "danger zone" with another colleague.
Phil and Michelle Dodunski spoke after an inquest into his death came to a close in Brisbane on Wednesday.
Mr Dodunski said the past week spent listening to evidence in the Coroners Court had been "exhausting" for his family.
"We haven't really grieved about Gareth because of all this," he said.
"We've had the horror and the trauma of losing him but haven't had any moments really to think about our son," Mrs Dodunksi said.
Driller had no formal training but 'felt confident'
More than a dozen witnesses testified during the seven days of hearings, including the driller responsible for operating the equipment that caused the fatal injuries.
The court heard Jacob Kilby had only recently been promoted to the position, had not completed the necessary qualifications for the role and had received no formal training, only learning "on the job".
Last week Mr Kilby told the court despite the "rapid" elevation to the new position, he "felt confident and capable" and believed the workplace was "safe enough".
"I didn't have the thought it was unsafe," he said.
Mr Kilby also told the court about the "moment of panic" when he realised the two men were on the floor, after looking away momentarily before reactivating the machine, saying he tried to stop it by "smashing the off button" but should have been hitting the "kill switch".
Daniel Mullings, who was on the drill floor and witnessed Mr Dodunski's death, became emotional when he gave evidence about his attempts to save him.
"I grabbed him by his arm and tried to pull him out of the way, but I was too slow, and it caught him," he said.
Several other people who worked for the company also took the stand, with some telling the court about the lack of training they received specifically in relation to how the ST80 worked.
They were also questioned about the level of competency they had, with the court hearing a "significant number" of workers were not fully qualified for their roles.
'A catastrophic amount of failures,' mother says
The court also heard there has since been a number of changes at the site in relation to the operation of the machine, but Mrs Dodunski said it was clear from the evidence there was "a catastrophic amount of failures" which could have been dealt with before her son's death.
"There was zero safety … it shouldn't have happened it was so preventable," she said.
Mrs Dodunski said the inquest "did give us some answers that we needed to hear" but was frustrated it had taken this long.
"It shouldn't be that way," she said.
"It shouldn't take a coronial process to get the truth."
Coroner Donald Mackenzie made a number of observations during the hearing, particularly about the lack of power the state's mining investigators have to compel people to give evidence, after the court heard there was "a bit of resistance" to cooperate.
He also commented on the fact that "no-one bothered" to carry out drug and alcohol testing on the day.
"It is eyebrow raising that it wasn't done in this case," Mr MacKenzie said.
Sister speaks about losing 'protector' and 'friend'
On the last day of the hearing Mr Dodunski's sister Aimee read a touching family statement to the court describing her brother as a "respectful, helpful, kind and generous young man".
"He was my protector and my closest friend," she said.
"The bond we have as siblings is truly amazing — an undeniable connection."
Ms Dodunski said her family will "forever be broken" over his death saying their pain was "horrendous and indescribable".
"The world have been robbed of a truly wonderful, inspiring, intelligent and gentle soul that would have made the world a much better place for everyone," she said.
Coroner Mackenzie passed on his condolences to the family before reserving his findings.
