Firefighter died in high-speed inflatable boat crash

A firefighter was killed in a high-speed crash when two inflatable boats collided during a training exercise, an inquest has heard.

Father-of-two Joshua Gardener, 35, suffered a "deep chop wound" to the head during the incident in Pembrokeshire on 17 September 2019.

A coroner said the boats were carrying out "uncoordinated exercises" at high speed and could not avoid a crash.

The jury in Haverfordwest reached a verdict of accidental death, after being told that crew members were not wearing protective head gear at the time as they were "uncomfortable".

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) stated that it was unlikely that this would have saved Mr Gardener's life.

The inquest at the County Hall in Haverfordwest heard that Mr Gardener had been sitting at the front of one of the inflatable boats when they hit each other on the Cleddau Estuary in Milford Haven.

As he lay "motionless" in the water, the trainer immediately jumped in to rescue him.

However, it quickly became apparent that his injuries were fatal.

He was pronounced dead at Neyland Yacht Club at 11:55, a post-mortem examination finding he suffered a "high velocity impact" and a "deep chop wound" to the head.

Pembrokeshire senior coroner Paul Bennett said in his opening statement that "the collision occurred with both boats operating at speed".

A report by the MAIB concluded that training activity was not planned and no one was in overall charge.

A legal challenge by the fire service, which revolved around how the MIAB report should be presented to the jury, failed.

After nearly 5 years since Mr Gardener’s death, his family and friends said the inquest was "welcomed".

In a tribute to Mr Gardener, which was read at the hearing, he was described as "a committed and caring family man" who always wanted to work for the emergency services.

Following the verdict, the family released a statement, saying they welcomed the continued investigations by the Health and Safety Executive and of the Marine and Coastguard agency.

"We have just heard the coroner's conclusion into Joshua's death as accidental death," it said.

"We believe that the MAIB report as witness to the inquest speaks for itself and it identifies the many systemic failings of the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service."

Speaking after the verdict, Roger Thomas, chief fire officer at Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said he hoped the conclusion of the inquiry "does bring some sort of closure to the family".

"Now that the formal part of the proceedings is drawing to a close, hopefully now they can get some closure and move on from this," he said.

"There has been an independent review by the MAIB into what happened on that tragic day and we do, as we always do, learn from any investigation and continue to improve.

"We are committed to that and we have formed several new practices and reviewed procedures since that day, but our thoughts are with the family."