A petition calling for an inquest into the tragic death of a 24-year-old electrician in Slieve Gullion Forest Park in 2018 has garnered almost 2,000 signatures.
Matthew Campbell was killed when a 200-year-old beech tree was uprooted and fell on him during Storm Ali. His manager was seriously injured.
Despite the fatality, the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) did not initially attend the scene or launch an investigation.
Matthew’s family have since requested an inquest into his death, citing what they describe as a failure by HSENI to investigate.
“It was devastating to find out no one was investigating our son’s death,” said Matthew’s father. “It took pressure from ourselves and the Unite Union, of which Matthew was a member, to push HSENI to act.”
HSENI eventually opened an investigation in February 2020 – over a year after the incident.
In 2024, both Newry, Mourne and Down Council and Lagan Construction were fined a total of £50,000 after admitting health and safety offences in relation to Mr Campbell’s death.
However, the charges did not directly address the day Matthew was killed.
“The actual offences had nothing to do with the day Matthew was killed – they were committed in the days, weeks and even months before. Our son’s name may not even have been mentioned in court,” said his father, Mark.
“The Public Prosecution Service ensured that he was mentioned in court. From day one we had wanted an inquest into our son’s death, so we were shocked when we received a letter from the Coroner’s Office in late 2024 denying us one.
“The Coroner said that all the answers to the Who, What, Where, When and Why had been addressed in court, so an inquest would not be needed.”
Mark says he and the family strongly disagree.
“No one has answered why HSENI failed to attend the scene, why we had to fight to get them to investigate – when they have a legal obligation to do so – and why the police did not force them to act or start their own investigation after HSENI failed.
“We want an inquest to expose how badly our son’s death was handled, what we as a family had to do to get an investigation started – with the help of Unite Union’s Susan Fitzgerald – and to ensure something like this does not happen again.
“After meeting with HSENI and the PSNI over the past six years, we feel they are unwilling to take action themselves to stop something like this happening to another unfortunate family like ours.
“We believe the Coroner could take action against the parties involved and help ensure this does not happen again.
“This whole incident and process has had a devastating effect on our family, and it will for the rest of our lives.
“We fear something like this will happen again, as both parties are unwilling to admit the failures that occurred on that day and in the weeks, months and years that followed. The only way to prevent this is a Coroner’s Inquest.
“We are currently having to appeal to the Attorney General to have the decision not to hold an inquest overturned. The fight continues.”
Related: Dad’s heartbreaking tribute to ‘generous, funny and loving’ son as Council fined over worker’s death
