Harry Oates was, by all accounts, a radiant young man – loving, fiercely loyal, and brimming with potential. His family now lives with an immeasurable pain, a void left by a life tragically cut short during a routine training run.
The circumstances surrounding his death have ignited a desperate search for answers. Harry came into contact with a live, low-hanging electrical conductor, a line that had fallen from its proper position days earlier and remained dangerously energized. The impact was immediate and fatal.
Electricity North West Ltd, responsible for the network, maintained the incident stemmed from an unprecedented and ultimately unpredictable chain of events. But Harry’s family refuses to accept this explanation, believing his death was preventable and that warnings were ignored.
Their grief is compounded by the discovery of unsettling patterns. Investigations, led by Gareth Naylor, revealed a prior fatality in 2012 – Dr. Kew, also a runner, killed in strikingly similar circumstances involving a fallen power line.
The family’s dismay deepened as they learned Electricity North West Ltd claimed no knowledge of Dr. Kew’s death. Furthermore, records showed at least two other incidents within the region where insulator failures caused live wires to sag dangerously, even resulting in the death of livestock.
A critical concern emerged: a systemic failure to address a latent defect in the insulators themselves. The family questions why infrastructure wasn’t designed to automatically ground lines upon failure, or why poles weren’t positioned to prevent such hazards near public paths.
Prior to Harry’s death, the protocol was to simply re-energize a line unless a public report of a fault arrived within 20 minutes. Only now, in the wake of this tragedy, has the company begun proactive line patrols following fault alerts.
While the company is now implementing changes – including insulator replacement and LineSight technology – and a Prevention of Future Deaths report has been issued to the Energy Network Association, the family’s pain remains raw. They hope Harry’s death will serve as a catalyst for nationwide change.
The family’s plea is simple yet profound: accountability, transparency, and a renewed commitment to safety. They want Harry’s memory to inspire lasting improvements, ensuring no other family endures the agonizing loss they now face.
The coroner recorded a narrative conclusion, acknowledging the complexity of the case. But for Harry’s family, the pursuit of justice and the prevention of future tragedies remains paramount.
