7:15pm Friday 29th August 2008
By David Horne
A man was tonight fighting for his life after he was involved in an accident while working on a major shopping centre development in Witney.
The 28-year-old builder, who has not been named, was airlifted to hospital following the incident at the Marriotts Close site at about 9am.
The centre developers tonight remained tight-lipped about the cause of the accident, but the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) confirmed it had launched an investigation.
The victim, who was operating a cherry picker vehicle, is thought to have fallen and been crushed under iron girders.
Witnesses spotted emergency crews attempting to resuscitate him and the John Radcliffe Hospital said his injuries were "life-threatening" and his condition was critical.
The High Street was closed to allow the air ambulance to touch down at the mini roundabout with Welch Way.
Customers at The Old Studio cafe, near the junction, saw the helicopter touch down.
Cafe assistant Helena Matthews said: "They had to make two landings. We have never seen anything like this before in Witney - a helicopter in the High Street.
"People were still having breakfast and watching what was going on. We saw the ambulance guys bring out the man on a stretcher.
"We saw them working on his heart the whole time while bringing him down the street and loading him."
Workers on the construction site had been told by the bosses not to say anything about the incident. Work was halted for the day.
The £50m redevelopment is bringing new shops, houses and a multi-storey car park to the town and is expected to open next Autumn.
Traffic and pedestrians were kept behind police tape in High Street - blocking the town centre - until the helicopter flew off at about 9.45am.
Officers from the HSE were immediately called to investigate the scene and work on site was cancelled for the rest of the day.
Witness Mark Oliver was watching from his workplace at the Southern Electric offices opposite the Marriotts Close site.
He said: "We did not actually see the incident, but saw everything afterwards.
"Police, fire and ambulance people were everywhere.
"They quickly cordoned off the whole site and it was obviously a major incident."
Mr Oliver filmed the drama on his business mobile phone, including the arrival of the helicopter, but the phone was seized by police as part of the investigation into the incident.
He said: "They told me it could contain 'circumstantial evidence' and that they had every right to take it for investigations."
But tonight police said the investigation had been placed in the hands of the HSE.
Alex Blakelock, spokesman for the developers Simons Construction, said: "We can confirm that one site operative has been airlifted to hospital with serious injuries.
"All relevant authorities have been notified and all work on site has ceased to assist the HSE with their enquiries."
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