Inquest hears Romanian builder Marian Nemit killed in Bakers Arms, Leyton was dragged from rubble 'screaming in pain'

Marian Nemit, 21, was injured while working on a shop renovation at 844 Leyton High Road, near Bakers Arms, on April 14 2015.

A jury of six men and five women at Walthamstow Coroner’s Court today (Tuesday) heard how Mr Nemit was using a drill hammer to break away hard cement to make way for new cement.

Franesko Begkai said his colleague had accidentally broken off part of the pillar’s base.

He told the court: “The pillar was broken or cut. One side was not standing on the ground, it was in the air.”

After examining the damage, Mr Begkai warned Mr Nemit against working around the foundation any longer because it was unsafe and told him to stop using the drill.

He said Mr Nemit understood the warning and told him he would go below the surface again only to collect the debris from the broken pillar.

He said: “I was not his supervisor and was not in a position to tell him what he could and could not do, I was just advising him.

“He went inside and the pillar broke down, it fell on top of him. He wasn’t using the drill.

“I was about eight metres away and I heard the noise. He started screaming that he was in pain.

“I dragged him out from the foundation of the pillar.”

The collapse was heard by people working in a nearby office who rushed to the scene and called an ambulance.

Mr Begkai said Mr Nemit’s chest was swollen but he could not see any blood.

The inquest heard that while the workers’ boss had given instructions to Mr Begkai in his native Greek earlier that morning, he had spoken to Mr Nemit in English, which he was not fluent in.

But Mr Begkai said he believed Mr Nemit understood the instructions because they were simple words.

He added: “He was working very hard. He wanted to prove more and more he was very hardworking. He was always doing extra things than what was given.”

The inquest continues.