The workplace death of a Pipecon delivery driver may go to a coronial inquest, with the coroners court looking to investigate the company's traffic management system at its Delacombe site.
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Leigh Suckling was a 62 year old truck driver for the company, who died on January 28, 2020 after being run over by a truck being driven by a co-worker while washing his truck after a day of deliveries.
The coroners court met on Tuesday under Deputy State Coroner Jacqui Hawkins to discuss the next stages of the investigation into Mr Suckling's death.
This comes after the conclusion of a WorkSafe investigation into Mr Suckling's death which decided not to press charges due to a lack of evidence.
Deputy State Coroner Hawkins told Pipecon's legal representative she was thinking to progress the matter to a coronial inquest, looking at traffic management of trucks at the site.
Evidence from an engineer in the WorkSafe report suggested Mr Suckling's death may have been prevented if there had been a sufficient traffic management system in place.
The matter was given a four week adjournment for Pipecon to make submissions regarding its traffic management and a potential inquiry, as well as call forward any additional information.
Deputy State Coroner Hawkins reminded the court coronial inquests determined facts on a balance of probabilities, as opposed to the WorkSafe investigation which had to prove events beyond reasonable doubt.
The court heard Mr Suckling had started working for Pipecon as a truck driver in 2017.
On January 28, 2020, Mr Suckling had been making deliveries from the Boral quarry in Dunnstown to a site in Lucas, returning to Pipecon's Delacombe premises at around 3.12pm after his last delivery.
Mr Suckling went to wash the wheels of his truck, although there was a large excavator placed in the wash bay of the yard.
Mr Suckling parked the truck near the wash area, and with a pressure washing hose began to clean the truck trailer's wheels.
The court heard the site washing bay was run on a "common sense" approach, with a general feel by drivers that there should only be one truck in the bay at a time to allow trucks to move by unobstructed.
One of Mr Suckling's fellow truck drivers arrived soon after, and after having a conversation with Mr Suckling attempted to park the truck near a fence on the southern side of yard.
It was here Mr Suckling was crushed under the wheels of his co-worker's truck.
No witnesses saw the moment of impact.
The matter will appear before the Coroners Court on April 11.
