Laith Hanna pleads guilty to workplace manslaughter after death of Michael Tsahrelias at Somerton stone warehouse

A family has described how their lives have been forever changed after their son and brother was pinned and killed by a forklift at a Somerton warehouse.

Michael Tsahrelias was just 25-years-old when he was tragically crushed by a forklift while at work in a stone warehouse in Somerton in October 2021. Laith Hanna and his company plead guilty to his death.

The family of a man killed in a horror workplace incident in Melbourne’s north has described how his death has destroyed their lives.

Michael Tsahrelias was just 25 when he was crushed by a forklift while at work in a stone warehouse in Somerton.

Laith Hanna’s was the sole director and shareholder of a company, LH Holding Management Pty Ltd, that was charged with workplace manslaughter over the incident to which it plead guilty.

On Tuesday Hanna pleaded guilty to one count of being an officer of a body corporate that committed workplace manslaughter where that contravention was attributable to the officer’s failure to take reasonable care.

The case was the first case of its kind to be prosecuted after workplace manslaughter was introduced as a charge under new laws by the state government in 2020.

On October 12, 2021 Michael Tsahrelias was working at Hanna’s company’s warehouse with his father.

The Tsahrelias family owned a stonemason business and had worked with Hanna for close to 10 years through Hanna’s work as a builder and through his company, Universal Stone and Marble, which employed them as subcontractors.

When Hanna came to the warehouse that day he jumped on a forklift to move some stone slabs.

The court heard Hanna had completed training and was qualified to drive a forklift, however, on the day of the incident he didn’t follow all the necessary safety precautions.

Laith Hanna operating the forklift on the day the offence.

He turned the forklift around on a slope, which is discouraged by safety courses and manuals as it leads to a greater risk of tipping.

Hanna also allowed the victim to be too close to the forklift — drivers are supposed to cease driving the machine if anyone enters the safety zone and not re-commence until it is cleared.

The court heard Michael was steadying the load on the forklift when it tipped over and pinned him to the ground.

CPR was performed but Michael was unable to be revived.

Michael Tsahrelias standing beside the forklift.

The court heard Hanna had warned Mr Tsahrelias to not be in the way of the forklift prior to the incident.

During the hearing the court heard Mr Tsahrelias’ father no longer wanted to live and felt he had failed in his duty as a father to protect his son.

“If I hadn’t encouraged him to work in the industry he would not be dead,” a statement read to the court said.

“Every day I think of ways to end my life.

“I have fragmented into a million pieces and crumbled apart.”

Mr Tsahrelias mother’s statement said if it weren’t for her daughter she would have ended her life as the pain and anguish of her son’s death had been too much.

“His life had just started,” her statement read.

“His new house is the cemetery.

“We love you Michael, see you soon, my love, mum.”

His sister described the horror she felt seeing her brother’s body laying on the cold concrete for hours before they were allowed to go to him.

“They pulled me away from Michael,” she said in a statement read by a friend.

“I had to be physically picked up off the ground.”

The court heard Hanna began his life in Iraq under the rule of Saddam Hussein before fleeing as a young man.

Hanna worked many different jobs including being a bodyguard for a Dubai princess and a personal driver for a ruling family of the United Arab Emirates.

He lived all over the world before coming to Australia where he got married and started a family.

The court heard Hanna was overwhelmed with sadness and regret and said he would “struggle to ever forgive (himself)”.