Neil Hayes

A SENIOR construction worker killed on one of Camden’s biggest regeneration schemes was crushed by the falling ramp of a stationary lorry, an inquest has heard.

Neil Hayes, 61, was working at the Camden Goods Yard site in Chalk Farm Road, Chalk Farm, when he was killed in May 2024.

He lived in Archway and was an “Arsenal mad” former star of London’s Gaelic football scene, described by friends as a “cheeky chappy” with “great old moves” on the dance floor. He used to drink in the Enkel Arms.

During a two-week jury inquest at Bow Coroner’s Court, the court heard that an engineer had been called out to fix the hydraulic hoses on the lorry that later killed Mr Hayes.

When it was tested after the repair, the lorry’s tail lift – the mechanised rear platform used to load heavy items – fell and crushed Mr Hayes.

It took several people and a forklift to eventually lift the ramp off Mr Hayes, the court has heard.

The inquest continues.