Tragic final moments of 'adored' dad-of-three hit by tram

A coroner has ruled Wesley Tierney's death was an accident

The death of a much-loved dad hit by a tram in Wythenshawe was an accident, a coroner has concluded. Wesley Tierney left behind a heartbroken fiancée and three children following the tragedy earlier this year.

Members of his family were at Manchester Coroners' Court this afternoon (Wednesday, December 6) as an inquest into his death was held, detailing his final moments. Mr Tierney died aged 29 after being hit by a tram on Poundswick Lane on the evening of January 13.

The court heard Mr Tierney had been walking home before he 'stumbled' on the Metrolink track. Having heard the sound of a tram approaching, Mr Tierney 'tried to get up' before hit struck, leading to 'catastrophic injuries'.

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The inquest was held under 'rule 23', meaning written statements were accepted into evidence, rather than witnesses being called to speak. Area coroner Zak Golombeck read details provided by the pathologist, police coroner's officer and Greater Manchester Police's senior investigating officer, before providing a conclusion.

Mr Golombeck accepted the medical cause of Mr Tierney's death given by the pathologist who carried out his post-mortem as 'head and neck injuries'. The court heard that while an amount of 'primarily alcohol, but also cannabis' was found in Mr Tierney's blood, this made 'no direct pathological contribution to his death'.

A statement from Detective Inspector Worthington, GMP's senior investigating officer for the case, confirmed that police found no evidence of any third-party involvement or suspicious circumstances surrounding Mr Tierney's death. The statement, read in court by Mr Golombeck, added: "On his way home, Wesley had made his way across a tram track.

"At this point, he either slipped on the track and remained there due to the level of alcohol or drugs in his blood, or became momentarily stunned due to the fall. The only thing that made him come round was the sound of the tram."

The court heard Mr Tierney, who worked as a stock controller, had tried to 'shelter himself' as attempted to move with the tram approaching. His family was left with questions for the coroner, suggesting it was 'unclear' where Mr Tierney was before the collision.

They referred to a statement, not read in court publicly, which suggested the tram had slowed down for a bend in the moments before the collision. Mr Golombeck said he had 'no reason to doubt' the police finding of no criminal activity based on the evidence.

Recording Mr Tierney's death as an accident, Mr Golombeck added: "All I can make a positive finding on is that he came to be on the tram tracks at that time. That could have been as a result of intoxication, it could have been because he slipped and stumbled... but in terms of what appears to be clear in my assessment of the evidence is that the event where the tram struck Wesley was accidental."

Kirsty Jones, Wesley's fiancée, told the Manchester Evening News in January that her partner was 'family-oriented' and left behind three young children who 'adored' him. She added: "What can I say about Wez?

"He was one of those people who would help anyone. He got on well with anyone who met him and I knew from the moment we met that we would be together forever."