Inquiry comes to tragic conclusion

Julie Gilbert • Published 27 Jan 2010 16:00

THE long-awaited findings of a probe into a dad's death have concluded he made a tragically flawed decision that led to the accident that killed him.

But the news has devastated Tony Czernik's widow Louise who says she will never accept the meticulous engineer was to blame.

Mr Czernik , 57, a dad-of-two, was crushed when the forklift truck he was repairing fell on him at RHI Refractories in Whitecrook on April 11 2008 - the day before his 23rd wedding anniversary.

In a report published on Monday, on what would have been his 59th birthday, Sheriff Simon Pender came to the "undisputed conclusion" Mr Czernik's death was due to his own negligence in not supporting the truck correctly before crawling underneath it.

Sheriff Pender said in his findings, after a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI), the reasons as to why Mr Czernik decided to go under the truck were not important in terms of the Inquiry, as they would not have changed the tragic outcome.

However, Louise does not agree.

She believes the failure to answer this very question was disappointing.

Louise, 54, said: "It's not really answered any questions - it's not closed any wounds.

"I don't think it was his fault - I know Tony too well.

"He wouldn't have done that without somebody telling him to do it.

"It doesn't add up but there's nothing else I can do."

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This article appeared in Clydebank Post 27 Jan 10

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