News Drunk sailor died after falling into Goole dock
A 'happy-go-lucky' man who was a crew member on board a ship that regularly docked in Goole died when he fell into the docks following an afternoon drinking session, a Hull inquest heard last week.
Peter Krykant (63), of Cedar Grove in Liverpool, had been the chief engineer on board the mv Agila for ten years and was due to set sail to Sweden from Goole at 4pm on the day of his death, Sunday, April 15.
Friend Alan Taylor told the court that he had know Mr Krykant for many years and on the day in question had met him in The Jailhouse pub in Aire Street at 11.45am and stayed until around 12.30pm, during which time, Mr Krykant had "one or two" pints of beer.
"He was always happy," said Mr Taylor.
"Nothing was wrong with him that day and he was looking forward to his next vacation to Turkey."
Another friend, Kirt Norton, said that he also went for a drink with Mr Krykant that day. After leaving The Jailhouse they moved on to the Macintosh Arms, where Mr Krykant drank with friends until shortly before 2.30pm, when he left to make his way back to his ship.
Mr Norton told the court: "Whilst he was with me, Peter had five pints. He was fine, he was not drunk when he left me and not in a state to fall into the dock. He was capable of getting back to the ship.
"I've never known him go back to the ship when he has been drunk."
But Mr Norton added that after leaving the Macintosh Arms, Mr Krykant might have gone for a drink in another pub while on his way to the dock, as he was not sighted at the docks until shortly after 3.45pm. There was no concrete evidence to prove where Mr Krykant was during that time.
Associated British Ports (ABP) pilot David Griffiths was due to take the mv Agila out to sea that day. As he entered the docks shortly before 4pm he saw Mr Krykant at the security gate, struggling to type in the access code.
"There was a man that was trying to enter the docks without success. I didn't know who he was but I told him that I would let him in," said Mr Griffiths.
"As we went through the gate, he walked behind me and sat on a step, but I left him there so I could make it to the ship on time.
"He was a little unsteady on his feet and had trouble punching the security code into the gate. I last saw him when I left him at the entrance."
When Mr Griffiths told the ship's captain, Mikhail Antonov, that he had seen a drunken man at the gate and asked if he was missing a crew member, the pair went to the engine room and found that Mr Krykant was not there.
In a statement read to the court, Mr Antonov said that crew members searched the docks for Mr Krykant and added: "I saw the second mate, Andriy Vadimovich, waving his arms and I knew something was wrong.
"Andriy jumped into the water and pulled a body out onto the quay. I recognised it to be Peter."
Crew members tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate Mr Krykant and called an ambulance. He later died in Goole Hospital.
At Thursday's inquest Dr John Read confirmed the cause of death was drowning, and said that a post mortem revealed that My Krykant had 287 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood.
In a statement read out to the court, Mr Krykant's wife Doris, whom he met 18 years ago when he moved to Liverpool from his native Berlin, said that Peter was a 'happy-go-lucky' man whose life was about the sea.
She said that her husband telephoned and sent her text messages every day when he was away. The last time she spoke to him he was "full of the joys".
Coroner Paul Stott concluded the inquest by saying that the amount of alcohol found in Mr Krykant's blood was enough to have a "significant detrimental effect" on him.
He recorded an open verdict as no one saw how Mr Krykant came to fall into the dock.
Published on 9th August 2007 in News.
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