A council and two taxi firm operators have been fined more than £15,000 over the death of a man whose electric buggy fell from the back of a minibus.
James Hunt, 85, was fatally injured when the lift on Hartlepool Council’s dial-a-ride bus malfunctioned.
The council and taxi operators admitted breaching Health and Safety laws.
The local authority was fined £10,000 and the Taxi Operators £5,300.
Mr Hunt, from Seaton Carew, had used the dial-a-ride service to take him to Hartlepool’s Morrisons supermarket on 19 January 2005.
He reversed his buggy onto the vehicle’s tail lift, but the stop plate did not hold and he fell about 3ft to the ground.
The 150kg (330lbs) buggy fell on top of him, causing serious head and chest injuries. He was taken to the University Hospital of Hartlepool, where he later died.
A HSE spokesman said the council and Taxi operators were all responsible for failing to properly maintain the taxi’s lift.
