"Much loved" Sheffield husband's death deemed accidental at inquest after car dropped on him
“His loss has left a big void within his family that can never be filled”
The death of a 51-year-old man from Sheffield has been ruled accidental after a car dropped onto him whilst at work.
Ian Findlay was a panel beater and painter at Rutland Autos Body Limited, on Rutland Road, when the hydraulic trolley jack used to raise the vehicle he was preparing for removal, dropped.
After suffering “unsurvivable” injuries to his head, he later died at the Northern General Hospital on July 23, 2025.
The inquest heard that Mr Matthew Charles, a recovery truck driver, arrived at Rutland’s Autos to pick up a Mercedes car. Ian was preparing for it to be removed, and “jacked up the car and secured a strap onto the skate”.
Coroner Rebecca Connell read that Poppy Shemmelds, the vehicle owner, saw “he was pulling the car quite hard”, as she was engaging in a conversation with Mr Charles.
Ms Connell said: “Miss Shemmelds looked up and saw the vehicle drop.”
The hydraulic trolley jack that was holding the car up, had come out, and it was Mr Charles who raised the vehicle off Ian.
He said: “I was in a panic and got the car jack, trying to put it back under the car to get it off him, I was just in that much of a rush.”
Miss Shemmelds rang for an ambulance and emergency services arrived at the site at 2.22pm, he was then taken to hospital “as quickly as possible” but later died at the Northern General.
Pathologist Dr Philip Lumb confirmed the medical cause of death was a blunt force head injury.
Despite the trolley jack becoming dislodged, HSE investigated the scene and found it had “no issues identified” and was “fully functioning”.
Charlotte Bligh, an investigator at HSE, told the court that when working under a hydraulic jack, ‘axel stands’ should be used, but in this case, they were not.
Addressing the court, coroner Ms Connell said: “The hydraulic jack should never have been used alone.
“Ian was a very experienced member of the team, with 30 years working in the industry. They (Ian’s colleagues) had never seen him work under a vehicle without an axel stand before.”
Ian did have his qualifications, which included safety at work. Whilst there was no record of formal training in relation to working under vehicles, Ms Connell was “satisfied risk assessments are in place” and that the “staff are aware of the risks”.
The inquest into his death concluded on Thursday, October 8 at the Sheffield Medico Legal Centre, where a jury was in agreement that his death was accidental after the car fell from the jack, causing serious head injuries.
The family gave their heartfelt tribute to Ian, and said: “Ian was a much loved husband, father, son, brother, son-in-law & uncle. Ian had worked in the car industry for over 30 years and was a very conscientious man. He was well liked and always helpful.
“His loss has left a big void within his family that can never be filled. We as a family take comfort in that his death has given continued life to several other people through donating his organ’s, something he would have been very proud of.”
Speaking to the family, Ms Connell said: “This is an unimaginable loss, you have my condolences.”