AN ACCIDENT in Holland that killed a 28-year-old Accrington man will remain a mystery.

Andrew Nicholas Jones, whose parents live in Cobham Road, Accrington, died instantly when the fork lift truck he was driving tipped over on him.

He had started work in Holland 13 months earlier after setting up home with a Dutch girl.

His father, Terence Jones, told an inquest in Blackburn he went to Oosterhout, Holland, the day after police informed him of his son's death.

He spoke to the only witness, another fork lift truck driver, who was working inside at the depot when he turned to see Andrew's truck tipping over in the yard. Mr Jones said the other driver saw Andrew jump clear but the truck went in the same direction and trapped him underneath. The other driver used his own fork lift truck to lift the truck off Andrew, but he was already dead.

Andrew's truck had been loaded with pipes at the time but Mr Jones said they had not collided with anything.

"It was a mystery how it happened," said Mr Jones.

"Andrew had done this particular operation many times before and other people had done exactly the same job, but no-one was able to explain why it had fallen over.

"The Dutch health and safety inspectors could not come up with any reasons why it had happened."

Acting coroner Michael Singleton recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Andrew was a pupil at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School before doing his A levels at Accrington College and then going on to Liverpool University.

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