Coffin lifter that crushed undertaker ‘had fault and descended unexpectedly’, inquest hears

There was a fault with the coffin lifter machine that fatally crushed an undertaker in 2023, an inquest has heard.

Funeral administrator Sally Blundell, 58, was found trapped underneath a trolley used to move bodies from cold storage in a back room at a branch of the East of England Co-op Funeral Services.

The grandmother had been working alone at the Swaffham branch December 1, 2023, and was found by a colleague from a nearby branch.

Norfolk area coroner Yvonne Blake told jurors that expert evidence indicated a there was a faul with the hydraulic scissor lift mortuary trolley, which "descended unexpectedly".

Mark Ling, a cluster manager at the East of England Co-op, said he was sure Mrs Blundell was competent to operate the machine, and described her as a "stickler with the rules".

Mr Ling said: “In my experience she would work safely and report any concerns.”

Mrs Blundell had worked for the Co-op at different branch for five years from 2016 to 2021 before rejoining the Swaffham branch in 2022.

Neil Renault, a risk and assurance officer for East of England Co-op, said that workers “receive training in the safe use of the coffin lifter”.

Mr Renault said Mrs Blundell had been trained in person in use of the trolley by both Mr Ling and Stephen Kemp, a colleague at a neighbouring branch.

“This was notwithstanding her previous five years with the business and she was familiar with the use of similar equipment,” Mr Renault said.

Mrs Blundell’s glasses were found on the floor.

Her daughter Lucy Blundell said her mother “wore glasses all the time”.

“I understand that without glasses mum would have suffered from blurred vision, but I can’t comment on the extent of the impairment,” she said.

Lucy Blundell said she could not comment on how the glasses came to be on the floor.

The coroner has summed up evidence in the case to jurors and sent them out to consider their conclusion.

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