A THREE-day inquest opens today following the death of a Skipton man in Carlisle last year.

Paul Spence, 64, was killed in a forklift truck incident during a visit to a Michael Douglas Auto Salvage in February last year.

He was released by firefighters and treated by paramedics and an air ambulance crew but died at the scene.

A joint investigation was carried out by Cumbria Police and the Health and Safety Executive.

Mr Spence was well-known in and around Skipton and kept a garage on the town’s Snaygill industrial estate.

A jury inquest is due to begin today at Carlisle Coroner’s Court to investigate the circumstances and lead-up to the incident.

Sion Kingston, the lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing the family, said: “This is a tragic case where someone has sadly lost their life so suddenly and in such terrible circumstances.

“The inquest will be incredibly tough for Paul’s family as they will have to relive what happened on that day, but hopefully it will provide them with the answers they need to move forward and identify if any lessons can be learned to prevent any similar incidents in the future.”

Mr Spence's daughter Maria said: “We are hoping that, through the inquest, we are able to get a better understanding of what exactly happened and to get answers to the questions we still have surrounding dad’s death.”