Proceedings will determine facts surrounding Darrel Richards' death
A coroner’s inquest into the death of American Iron & Metal (AIM) worker Darrell Richards is set to begin next week at the Saint John courthouse in New Brunswick, according to the provincial government.
Richards died on July 1, 2022 in hospital, as a result of injuries sustained while working at AIM’s facility located at the Port of Saint John.
Deputy chief coroner Michael Johnston and a jury will publicly hear evidence from witnesses to determine the facts surrounding this death. The jury will have the opportunity to make recommendations aimed at preventing deaths under similar circumstances.
In February, AIM pleaded guilty to the charges related to Richards’ death.
AIM faced four charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, specifically for failing to ensure Richards' safety. Initially, AIM pleaded not guilty to all four charges, but during a pre-trial conference in Saint John, AIM admitted guilt to one charge, with the remaining three set to be dropped during sentencing.
Richards – a contractor who was a married father of three – succumbed to injuries sustained while cutting into a calendar roll at AIM's waterfront scrapyard. The roll decompressed, causing a severe laceration in his groin area, leading to substantial blood loss.
The roll ruptured, severing Richards’s femoral artery. He died in hospital the next day.
Court heard that the scrapyard’s employees weren’t told how to properly handle loaded calender rolls, which are large cylinders used in printing presses or textiles mills, the material of which is held under tremendous pressure around a metal roller, reported The Canadian Press in an article posted on Global News.
The first day of the inquest is on June 3. It is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. with jury selection. The last day of the inquest will be on June 7.
