Posted online: May 31st, 2010

The grieving widow of a County Derry man who was killed after falling at work has hit out at the penalty handed down to the firm responsible for breaching health and safety regulations.
Jonathan Friel, a married father of two, suffered severe head injuries and died two weeks after falling through unsupported plywood while working on the construction of Belfast’s Obel Tower in December 2008.
Last Monday at Laganside Court in Belfast, Dungiven-based company Fernwave Limited was fined £30,000 plus £1,700 costs after Conor Bradley, a director of the recently liquidated company, earlier admitted three health and safety breaches.
Handing the fine down Judge Tom Burgess said it should act as a “deterrent” to other companies.
However Jonathan’s grieving widow Shauna said the fine wasn’t enough and tougher penalties should be put in place.
“I’m gutted, just devastated,” said the Dungiven woman. “I was expecting it to be higher than £30,000. To me £30,000 just isn’t enough money as it wouldn’t even be a man’s wage for a year. Jonathan’s death could have been so easily prevented.
“I don’t think the judge considered my feelings at all and the effect Jonathan’s death has had on me.
“I have asked for a review of the case.”
A clearly distraught Shauna says the year and a half following her husband’s death has been “devastating.”
“I’m just lost here on my own bringing up two boys, it’s so hard,” she said. “My oldest son, Orrie, who was two and a half when Jonathan died, still remembers him and talks about him everyday. It is heartbreaking but I still like to hear Orrie talking about him.”
Describing her husband as a “boisterous person” who was “loud and full of fun”, Shauna said the couple, who had been together eight and a half years and married for five and a half, were looking forward to spending Christmas together with their two young sons, Orrie and Bobby, when tragedy struck.
Recalling the morning she received the phone call to say 35-year-old Jonathan had fallen at work, Shauna, also an employee of Fernwave, said she didn’t believe it was serious.
“At around 10am on the 11th of December I got the call to say Jonathan had fallen but I didn’t think it was serious until I got to the Royal. I thought he had just broken bones or something.
“I always had that wee bit of hope that Jonathan would pull through because anyone that knew him knew that he was a fighter. He was strong and healthy and looked after himself. He never smoked and he ate healthily. I always thought he would pull through.”
Shauna says she feels she has been neglected by Fernwave who have not made contact with her since Jonathan’s death.
“I worked with Fernwave in their office for nearly ten years and I haven’t heard any word from them since Jonathan died.
“They (Fernwave) had the chance to plead guilty five months ago but they didn’t. It was while hard for me as I had to travel up and down to Belfast past the Obel Tower.
“I feel that they (Fernwave) knew they were going into liquidation so they probably felt the longer they held out then they wouldn’t have to pay the fine.”