A failure to apply the hand brake led to a verdict of accidental death at the inquest of a York man who was crushed under the truck he was working on.

John Wheatley, 27, of Barkston Grove, Chapelfields, died on September 23 last year after a 7.5 tonne Iveco lorry rolled over him crushing his chest while he was preparing to do some work on its starter motor.

A post mortem report said Mr Wheatley had died of crush asphyxia after one of the front wheels of the lorry ran over him dragging him for about a metre.

The inquest, held at York's Guildhall in front of a nine-person jury, heard that Mr Wheatley had no formal training as a me-chanic but had agreed with his boss, Christopher Moss, proprietor of High-landers, in Murton Way, Osbaldwick, to 'have a look' at the starter motor on the lorry which had been playing up.

Mr Wheatley, a driver and loader at Mr Moss' parcel delivery and minibus hire company, 'liked to get on the spanners', and had replaced a starter motor on a previous occasion.

Ian Horner, a friend and former 'driver's mate' of Mr Wheatley's said: "John would always put on the hand brake and take the vehicle out of gear automatically whether he was stopped for two minutes or 30 seconds."

But North Yorkshire Police accident investigator Ken Sandercock confirmed that on the morning of his death the hand brake had not been applied.

He said: "It was possible he was standing in the gap between the wheel and the cab and, as the hand brake wasn't applied, some movement has occurred and dragged him to the position where he was found."

The jury recorded a verdict of accidental death and York coroner Donald Cover-dale apologised to the family for the one-year wait they had endured before the in-quest was heard.

Dorothy Wheatley, John's mother, said: "Now we can start looking forward in-stead of looking back all the time."

A Health and Safety Executive investigation was also carried out but found no grounds for prosecution.