Dad-of-two who died falling head first into manhole after leaving pub was ‘discovered by worker who saw legs poking out’

According to an inquiry, a worker found a dead father who had fallen headfirst down a manhole after noticing a “pair of legs” sticking out.

The hole was created by gas engineers, and Andrew Barker, 56, fell into it while heading home from the pub.

Strong winds were blowing over the safety barriers surrounding the roadworks during Storm Isha, which had battered the UK at the time of the disaster in January.

According to the inquest, the former NHS nurse who was working at the location saw “a pair of legs” protruding from the hole.

Sadly, Andrew was unable to be saved and was pronounced dead at the Bradford, West Yorkshire, scene.

The father of two was told by Bradford Coroners Court that his death would have been “immediate” because of the position he was in, which affected his respiratory function.

Alcohol consumption and postural asphyxiation were listed as the causes of his death.

According to the inquest, Andrew had visited his neighborhood bar before returning to a friend’s home.

However, he was not “substantially over the limit” despite having consumed alcohol.

Andrew made the decision to go home at around two in the morning; authorities think he might have attempted to take a shortcut when he fell.

Another theory, Detective Sergeant Lee Worsnam told the court, was that Andrew might have stumbled over the barriers if they were down or a patch of grass.

“Could have been any number of combinations that caused him to precipitate into this manhole,” according to coroner Martin Fleming.

The court heard that because of the storm, an amber weather warning for wind had been issued.

When he left work at 4 p.m. on Friday, Matthew Deekes, who oversaw the site for subcontractors, reported that the barriers were set up with sandbags.

The court was informed that during the course of that weekend, further support teams were deployed to Northern Gas Networks’ Bradford locations.

On Sunday night prior to the terrible fall, some 40 additional sandbags had been added to the spot.

The court heard that there was no proof that the barriers had been correctly erected when Andrew was on his way home.

The coroner came to the conclusion that Andrew died accidentally.

Sam, the ex-wife, and their daughters Holly and Hannah wrote in a family statement that they had “many happy memories” with Andrew, who “was a joker and loved to make people laugh.”

He was a community mainstay who was characterized as “mischievous,” “intelligent,” and “scarily quick-witted.”

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