Mum’s scream of ‘assist, my child is trapped’ after wall crushed son, 12

A boy died after a wall he was serving to his dad knock down at dwelling collapsed on high of him, an inquest has heard. Scott-Swaley Stevens, 12, died on the scene in St John’s Road, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, on October 21. His father Scott Stevens was freed however suffered an harm to his arm.

Scott-Swaley’s mum, Charmaine Lee, rushed to the hearth station subsequent door, screaming, “Help, my baby is trapped”, Wednesday’s listening to in Chelmsford was advised.

Essex senior coroner Lincoln Brookes concluded Scott-Swaley’s dying was an “extraordinarily tragic accident”.

Mr Stevens advised police, in a press release learn by the coroner: “The wall fell onto us both after we had rocked it to push it over.

“I did not use any instruments to finish this. It fell onto us inside seconds which I could not cease.”

Detective Inspector James Hardingham said police were called by the fire service at 6.56pm and Scott-Swaley was pronounced dead at the scene.

He said both the rear and front of the lean-to garage had already been removed, but one external wall was still left standing.

Det Insp Hardingham said: “They rocked the wall however, sadly, it rocked backwards onto them.”

He said Ms Lee’s daughter raised the alarm, going inside and shouting to her mother, “Help mum, daddy and Swaley are trapped below the wall”.

DI Hardingham added: “They went subsequent door to the hearth station to attempt to get assist.”

He said the family had “purchased the property to renovate and promote for a revenue”.

The coroner said the home was “within the strategy of renovation and the household had been largely staying in a caravan on the time”.

Mr Brookes said: “They had been doing it themselves.”

He continued: “Following a fish and chip supper, Swaley and his father Scott went out it appears, and I discover they went out to have a go at ending the storage or at the very least to examine what was due subsequent.”

Mr Brookes recorded that Scott-Swaley died of compression asphyxia after the wall collapsed on them.

Mr Brookes said: “The weight of the wall put such stress on his chest that his coronary heart could not work correctly.

“His blood couldn’t reach his brain, he went unconscious and died.”

He mentioned it was an “extraordinarily tragic accident”, including: “He was a 12-year-old boy with his whole life ahead of him.”