Birmingham City Council (BCC) are “investigating” after a man tragically died at a yard on Station Road in the morning of Tuesday 17 September.
Reports from the scene state the man, believed to be in his 50s, was crushed to death underneath a forklift truck.
A statement from West Midlands Ambulance Service confirmed: “We were called to an industrial incident on Station Road at 10.11am [17 Sept], two ambulances and a paramedic officer attended the scene.
“On arrival we discovered one patient, a man. Sadly, it quickly became apparent nothing could be done to save him and he was confirmed dead at the scene.”
A spokesperson from West Midlands Police added: “We were called to reports of a man trapped under a forklift truck at a premises on Station Road, Erdington at around 10.14am this morning (17 Sept).
“A man believed to be his 50s was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
“Enquiries to establish exactly what happened are ongoing and the Health and Safety Executive has been informed.”
Following initial media reports, it was claimed the yard – on the corner of Station Road and Summer Road – was regulated by Birmingham City Council (BCC) and any assessment of the site should come from Council officers.
After West Midlands Police referred the tragic incident to BCC, Erdington Local reached out to the Council for confirmation.
A spokesperson from BCC told: “West Midlands Police have informed us about the incident.
“Health and safety inspectors from the council’s environmental health team are on site and are investigating.”
Erdington Local has requested any updates from Birmingham City Council as the investigation continues.
Words by Ed King / Pics taken from Erdington Local archives
Police are appealing for help from the public after a man was stabbed on Coton Lane yesterday afternoon (10 September).
Responding to the incident, emergency services found the victim in a “serious condition” at the scene, but after rushing him to hospital it was confirmed his injuries were not fatal or “life changing”.
Now the force is calling for any information that may help them “trace who is responsible” for the attack that took place in broad daylight, just off the busy Erdington High Street.
Officers investigating are also looking for any eyewitnesses to the incident, or dashcam footage from any vehicle parked on Coton Lane or on the surrounding parts of Erdington High Street.
Following the attack, forensic teams cordoned off the quiet side street to search for clues – with officers also seeking CCTV footage that may help with their enquiries.
A spokesperson from West Midlands Police told: “We’re appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage as investigations continue after a man was stabbed in Coton [Lane], Erdington yesterday afternoon [Tuesday 10 September].
“The man in his 30s was taken for hospital treatment after the incident at around 3.15pm.
“Thankfully he is not believed to have suffered life-changing injuries and remains in a stable condition today [Wednesday 11 September].”
They added: “CCTV from around the area is being retrieved and reviewed as we work to establish what happened and trace who is responsible.
“Investigators have been carrying out door-to-door enquiries and would urge anyone we’ve not yet spoken with, but who believes they can help, to come forward.
“We’d also ask that anyone who has any dashcam footage from around the time of the incident to get in contact with us. If you can help, call us on 101 or message us via Live Chat on our website, quoting crime reference number 20/832261/24.”
Members of the public who wish to pass on information anonymously have further been asked to contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Attending the scene on Tuesday afternoon, West Midlands Ambulance Service confirmed: “We were called to reports of a stabbing on Coton Lane in Birmingham just before 3.15pm.
“An ambulance, paramedic officer, a MERIT trauma doctor and two critical care paramedics were sent to the scene where, on arrival, crews found a man in a serious condition.
They added: “Medics provided advanced trauma care before he was conveyed under emergency conditions to hospital with MERIT travelling on board to provide continued treatment.”
Words by Ed King / Photographs supplied by WMAS (group photo, left to right: Abi Conlin, Roy Taylor, Colin Cady, Bea Cady, Grace Harris, Maria Johnson)
On the run up to Christmas, two off duty Erdington paramedics have been reunited with a man whose life they saved after he suffered a potentially fatal cardiac arrest.
In October, Colin Cady was driving through Sutton Coldfield when his heart stopped pumping – forcing him to lose control of his vehicle and crash into a tree.
Luckily, off-duty Erdington paramedics Maria Johnson and Roy Taylor were passing at the time of the accident and immediately rushed to Colin’s aid – administering essential cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and roadside assistance until an ambulance arrived.
Now just days away from 25 December, Mr Cady was reunited with the lifesaving duo – wanting to thank them for helping him survive the ordeal and giving him the chance to celebrate another Christmas with his family.
Mr Cady told: “There really are no words to say thank you to those who saved my life that day. I count myself incredibly lucky that multiple off-duty emergency service staff were there at that moment, and that they came over to help me.
“Thanks to their actions, I’ve been able to celebrate my 53rd birthday recently and I’m ready to celebrate Christmas this year, one that I wouldn’t have seen if it weren’t for the fantastic work of the emergency services staff and staff caring for me in hospital.”
As defined by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), a cardiac arrest is when the ‘heart stops pumping blood’ and the ‘brain is starved of oxygen’ – causing the victim ‘to fall unconscious and stop breathing.’
Early CPR can be pivotal in keeping someone in cardiac arrest alive, with the BHF further stating: ‘In the UK there are over 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) a year… just 1 in 10 people survive. Early CPR and defibrillation can double the chances of surviving an OHCA.’
After witnessing the car crash, Maria Johnson and Roy Taylor rushed to Mr Cady’s aid – using both their medical training and a nearby Public Access Defibrillator to keep him alive whilst waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
Maria Johnson said: “It’s lovely to see Colin under such positive circumstances. It’s also such an important moment to appreciate just how fantastic bystander CPR and AEDs are.
“In this case we were able to assist with saving a patient’s life, not as ambulance staff but as bystanders, which is something that anyone with good CPR knowledge could do.”
Roy Taylor added: “While passing by and witnessing the incident, it was natural to go over and see if I could help at all, then seeing Maria there too was an incredible stroke of luck.
“Maria and I know each other well and have years of experience behind us so we both went into autopilot and tried to help Colin to the best of our ability while an ambulance was being called.”
On Wednesday 21 December, thousands of ambulance staff across the UK were involved in industrial action over rates of pay and working conditions – with the government refusing to engage in negotiations.
Despite the mass strikes, according to West Midlands Ambulance Servive ‘staff were left working to respond to respond to the most urgent calls such as cardiac arrests and other very serious cases such as heart attacks, strokes, difficulty in breathing and maternity cases.’
Some healthcare trusts and unions have scheduled further strike for 28 December and January 2023.
What is cardiac arrest? – British Heart Foundation
