Birmingham Live
·Jul 2026
Teenager crushed at work died instantly and alone after being failed by employer
An 18-year-old apprentice carpenter, Chloe Bidwell, died after unsecured wooden boards collapsed on her while she worked alone at a Bangor property. A court found her employer, Varcity Living Limited, failed to provide safe working practices, adequate supervision, or proper risk assessments, leading to a £50,000 fine for the firm and a suspended sentence for director David Horrocks. Investigators determined her death was entirely avoidable. Her family expressed profound grief and urged employers to take meaningful responsibility for worker safety, while the Health and Safety Executive emphasized that apprentices should never work alone in such conditions.