A teenage apprentice welder who was transformed into a 'human fireball' during a catastrophic workplace accident has revealed how he pleaded with nurses to let him die.
The Incident
Dwayne Bell was just 17 years old when he sustained horrific burns while working at a steel yard in Wigan. The trainee recalled how he was carrying out a routine rubbish-burning task that descended into a nightmare when a massive fireball consumed him, scorching his face, chin and hands. He described how the blast was so ferocious it melted part of his nose and ear, leaving him with third-degree burns.
Now aged 22, Dwayne is speaking out to alert other young apprentices about the very real dangers they can encounter on work sites. He said: "I shouldn't be here talking to you. I am lucky to be alive. It was so hot I feared I was going to be blinded - the heat was so intense."
Lack of Supervision
Dwayne, from Ashton-in-Makerfield in Wigan, had barely started his career at Qualfab Steel Ltd before the incident occurred in March 2021. He claims he had been directed to burn general waste, including paper, cardboard and wooden pallets, in a metal bin. He said: "I was just a kid, doing what I was told. I was the youngest on site by 20 or 30 years."
In legal papers, Dwayne stated he felt he hadn't received sufficient training for lighting a fire to dispose of waste - something he described as "surprising". Though he adds he did receive basic first aid and manual handling instruction. He alleged he was frequently left unattended despite his lack of experience, but had "seen the older lads do it a hundred times".
When a lighter wouldn't ignite some damp timber, Dwayne says he grabbed a tin of paint thinner, claiming he'd witnessed others doing the same previously. "I didn't see the sparks that were already there as they were hidden by the wood," he said. "The next thing I knew, the world just turned orange. The sound was like a jet engine. I was standing in the middle of a massive flame."
Agony and Recovery
He explained his head and hands caught fire and he rolled on the ground in agony while his workmates extinguished the flames with a high vis jacket. Still reeling from the trauma, Dwayne even requested colleagues photograph his wounds before emergency services turned up. He was airlifted to hospital and put into an induced coma for a week after sustaining burns to eight per cent of his body.
When he came round a week later in intensive care with 'tubes coming out of him', he believed he had only been unconscious for one night and was in 'indescribable pain'. Dwayne said: "I looked at the nurses and I just begged them to let me die. I couldn't see a future. I was wrapped in bandages, I couldn't move, and the pain was the worst I had ever experienced. So I asked the nurses just to turn the machines off and let me go. But they wouldn't. It was horrific."
Following three weeks in hospital, Dwayne came home, where his mum had to assist him with dressing and even cutting up his food. Throughout the following year, he had three skin grafts to his hands, with skin taken from his stomach and thighs. While his facial wounds have mostly healed, his hands remain severely scarred and may need additional surgery.
He has also been forced to abandon football and golf because the friction triggers painful blisters. He added: "My hands feel really numb in the morning like a dead leg and I get extreme pins and needles. I get very anxious in social settings still as I have bad scarring on my hands, chin and forehead. The experts don't know if they will get any better."
Legal Resolution and Warning
Dwayne subsequently instructed workplace injury specialists Express Solicitors, and the case was resolved out of court for a substantial six-figure sum, with no admission of liability. Senior Associate Neil Sagar, of Express Solicitors, said: "Dwayne has made a miraculous recovery from his life changing injuries. But he still lives with the consequences of what happened everyday and his ongoing scars will affect his future career. Businesses need to make sure appropriate supervision and training is given to apprentices especially when working with dangerous disposal methods."
Dwayne has since returned to welding with a different company in the North. However, the heat and vibration from power tools can trigger painful blistering, restricting how long he can work. He hopes that by sharing his experience, others might be spared from enduring similar injuries. He added: "I have to live with the consequences of what happened there everyday. Now I just want to try and live as normal a life as possible." Qualfab Steel Ltd has been approached for comment.
