Tragedy as 52-year-old man dies in incident at Sunderland's Liebherr crane manufacturing plant
A 52-year-old man has tragically died following an incident at a crane manufacturing plant in Sunderland.
The emergency services received reports that a man had been seriously injured at Liebherr, in Deptford Terrace, Sunderland, where he was later pronounced dead at the scene.
The incident took place on Tuesday, October 27, although details of his death were not confirmed until November 3.
A spokesperson for Liebherr said: “We can confirm that on Tuesday afternoon, a tragic accident occurred at our Liebherr site in Sunderland resulting in the death of a 52-year-old employee.
"We deeply regret this tragic incident.
"Our thoughts and sincere sympathies are with the victim’s family members and loved ones.
“The circumstances surrounding the accident are currently unclear and are subject to investigations initiated immediately following the accident.
"We are fully cooperating with the relevant authorities involved in the investigations and will provide all possible assistance to support their work.
“As the investigations are ongoing, we are unable to comment on the cause of the accident or provide any further details at this time.”
Tributes have already been made to the 52-year-oldman on social media.
One reads: “He was always happy and smiling with the biggest grin.”
The comment added: “It’s so hard to believe that someone who brought so much laughter and such a big personality into the lives of others is no longer here.”
Another said: “He was one of a kind, a heart of gold, someone who would go to the ends of the earth for the people he cared about but never missed an opportunity to take the mick out of them either.”
A spokesperson for Northumbria Police said: “On Tuesday, October 27, we received a report that a man had been injured at an industrial premises on Wellington Lane, in the Deptford area of Sunderland.
“Emergency services attended and a man sustained serious injuries.
“He was sadly pronounced deceased at the scene.
“Investigations are ongoing and we are working with the Health and Safety Executive to establish the circumstances of the incident.”
A Health and Safety Executive spokesperson said: “We are investigating this incident alongside Northumbria Police.”