A "funny, outgoing" man with a passion for Greggs steak bakes was crushed under the wheels of his own lorry.
Lee Wright, 31, died instantly after falling under the wheels of his HGV as he tried to stop it careering out of control at Eastham Oil Refinery at around 1pm on September 20 2021.
His sister Hayley, 27, said: "Lee was funny, outgoing, he lit a room up whenever he walked into it. He was the sort of person everybody needed in their life. He was my best friend, and if you had the pleasure of knowing him you would be considered a lucky person."
READ MORE: Every word judge said to lying mum Janette Mercer
Lee, who came from Fleetwood, was a massive fan of Greggs, whose golden puff parcels of rich meat and gravy - the famous steak bake - sustained him during his long trips on the road. He celebrated his 30th birthday with a Greggs spread, and was even laid to rest with a steak bake wrapper by his side.
Hayley, dad Neil, and five of his closest friends paid a unique tribute to him by having the bakery's blue logo etched permanently on their bodies, with ankle tattoos they called "Greggs on legs".
Neil, 52, said: "I don't think there was a Greggs on the motorway he hadn't been to."
Hayley added: "He'd defend them until his last breath. On his 30th birthday party, he had a Greggs buffet!"
CCTV of the moments leading up to Lee's tragic death were played at his inquest in Liverpool yesterday. It showed the Sutton Tankers Ltd employee, who came from Fleetwood, reversing the cab of his lorry into position at the terminal in order to attach an oil tanker, before exiting the vehicle and winding up the "legs" used to support the tanker while it was stationary.
He was then seen to mount the vehicle between the cab and the tanker in order to connect the two with various hoses and pipes. Both the cab and the tanker then began to roll forwards, and after around 13 seconds Lee jumped from the vehicle and ran alongside it, attempting to reach the cab and apply the brakes.
He then collided with another stationary lorry on the other side of the terminal, and was pulled under the wheels of his own vehicle. He suffered multiple severe crush injuries and died instantly.
Previously, Health and Safety Executive inspector Daniel Longdon told the court the heavy tanker was kept in place by its own brake system, which would disengage when attached to the cab in order to give the driver full control of both the cab and its cargo.
The brake system on the lorry itself was found to be in full working order, and was set to engage automatically when the engine was switched off. However, Lee had left the engine running and had not applied the parking brake properly, which led to the vehicle rolling away.
Today, February 7, a jury ruled he died "as a result of a risk taken that led to an unintentional outcome."
Neil said he hoped Lee's death would serve as a warning to other HGV drivers, and that the CCTV footage could be used to demonstrate the dangers to other Sutton Tankers Ltd employees. He said: "Lee took a risk, and it has cost him his life. If there are other drivers out there, I'd like them to learn from it."
Neil's wife Nichola added: "Lee was a fun-loving young man. He was a wind-up merchant and a cheeky chappy. He was hard on the outside, and really soft on the inside."
Hayley said: "(The inquest) has been a long time coming, and I think the only thing that has kept us going as a family has been sticking together and keeping Lee's memory alive.
"We have gone through good and bad days. I think now we have had closure, we can hope to have more good days than bad. Just being there for each other as a family, that's what Lee would have wanted us to do."
READ NEXT
Expert in search for Nicola Bulley thinks phone was left as a 'decoy'
Second man killed in M57 crash will 'never be forgotten'
Our reporter visited the scene where Nicola Bulley went missing and found a village in shock
Every word judge said to lying mum Janette Mercer
New Lidl hair styling range rivalling Dyson Supersonic for less than £20
