THE body of Karuah Quarries worker Ryan Messenger was destined last night to spend a second night pinned under the excavator that killed him as state government officials waited for a third crane to be brought from Sydney.
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Mr Messenger, 25, from Raymond Terrace, was killed when his excavator toppled over at about 8.30am on Tuesday.
An angry Hilton Grugeon - one of three partners in the quarry - said the government mines inspectors in charge of the retrieval had botched the job.
Breaking into tears during a phone interview with the Newcastle Herald, Mr Grugeon said the government mines inspectors should have "got the right size crane the first time".
He defended his company's safety record and said that he and everyone else involved was "devastated and distraught" at what happened on Tuesday morning.
He confirmed that Mr Messenger's death was the fourth industrial accident across a group employing more than 400 people since 2005. Responding to criticism by Newcastle Trades Hall Council of the quarry's safety record, Mr Grugeon said it was "political point-scoring" and all of the businesses he was involved with took safety "very, very seriously".
With police and state government mining inspectors having spent a second day at the accident site, a clearer picture of Tuesday's tragedy has begun to emerge.
Though earlier reports said Mr Messenger's excavator had crashed 30 metres down an embankment, it has since been confirmed this was not the case.
Police and company sources have confirmed the machine toppled over with a large rock stuck in its bucket, but the 30 metres referred to the depth of the open-cut pit below. Mr Messenger was operating the machine on the outer rim of the quarry pit.
The state government's Trade and Investment agency - which houses the mining industry's inspection unit - refused to release any details of events.
Sergeant Stewart Mann, of Raymond Terrace police, said he was unable to comment on the recovery of Mr Messenger's body or the progress of a police investigation.
"The situation has not changed during the day but difficulty with the recovery in a precarious position means they have had to send for a bigger crane," Sergeant Mann said.
He said about six mine inspectors and five police spent the day at the quarry, with the scene of the accident guarded again last night.
When the Herald watched yesterday from the side of the nearby motorway, two cranes, with their jibs extended, could be seen among the trees on the side of the hill.
Joanna Smith, whose husband Darren died in a 2005 accident at the quarry, said her heart went out to the families involved. "My heart sank when I heard what had happened," she said.
