AN OKEHAMPTON man was killed when the car he was working on fell on him, an inquest heard last week.
Thirty-six-year old Chris Aggett had been welding his black Peugeot when the accident occurred on April 25 at Fernbridge Farm, Sourton Cross.
Coroner for Exeter and Greater Devon Elizabeth Earland recorded a verdict of accidental death on Mr Aggett, a self-employed agricultural engineer.
In a statement Paul Fishleigh said he was close friends with Mr Aggett, whom he had known for 21 years and had employed for the past year and a half.
He described how the engineer, who lived at Tor Road, arrived at his farm at about 11.45am on April 25 to collect logs.
Mr Fishleigh returned to the farm at 1.40pm. As he entered the workshop, he saw the black Peugeot and a fork-lift truck at the front of it with its forks four feet in the air.
He looked under the car and saw Mr Aggett lying beneath it with his face down, wearing his welding mask. He used the fork-lift truck to lift the car off and tried to resuscitate him three times.
Mr Fishleigh drove his tractor into the middle of the field with its orange light flashing so the air ambulance could find the site easily.
He said he had not known Mr Aggett intended to work on his car that day but he would not expect him to ask to use the truck and welding equipment, which he had used numerous times in the past.
When paramedics arrived they attempted to resuscitate Mr Aggett for a further 20 minutes but to no avail, the inquest in Okehampton heard.