A FRONT-end loader operator took seven minutes to call an ambulance for a postman he fatally struck while reversing from a Perth home construction site.
Father-of-two Sean Morgan-Smith, 47, died from abdominal injuries after being hit on a Huntingdale footpath in June 2015.
David Gino Bonifazi told the WA Coroner’s Court on Monday he didn’t see anyone behind him when he reversed.
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READ NOW“There was no one in my line of sight at all,” Mr Bonifazi said.
While the loader had a flashing light and beeper to warn it was reversing, he decided witch’s hats and a spotter were not necessary given the site was at the end of a no through road.
Mr Morgan-Smith was underneath his motorbike and yelling in pain when Mr Bonifazi emerged from the cabin and asked if he needed an ambulance.
Paramedics arrived 12 minutes after they were called.
Mr Morgan-Smith went into cardiac arrest and was declared dead in hospital.
Mr Bonifazi was charged with dangerous driving occasioning death but the prosecution was discontinued.
The inquest will examine both men’s workplace safety regulatory oversight.