A power lines maintenance worker who was left paralysed after falling more than 30 feet from an electricity pylon has secured a compensation package worth more than £10 million.
Gavin Pugh, from Bangor, North Wales, was working to dismantle a pylon in East Staffordshire in April 2022 when he fell. He had unknowingly clipped his safety line onto a section of the structure that had already been worked on by other workers, leaving it secure only at one end.
The strut spun into a vertical position when he put his weight on it, causing his safety rope to slip loose and plunging him to the ground. The 33-year-old suffered catastrophic injuries, including to his brain, neck, shoulder, ribs and internal organs, and was left paraplegic and reliant on a wheelchair for life.
Safety failures identified
Following the fall, his Cheshire-based employer, Wood Transmission and Distribution Ltd, was criticised by the Health and Safety Executive, which said adequate safety arrangements had not been in place. The firm was fined £240,000.
Another team had already done some work on the pylon, but Mr Pugh had not been aware that the section he clipped onto was no longer secure.
Compensation and rehabilitation
Mr Pugh sued the company at London's High Court. After out-of-court negotiations, he agreed a care and compensation package, said by his lawyers, Stewarts, to be worth eight figures.
The money is to compensate him for his injuries and lost future earnings, as well as to fund 24-hour live-in carers and the £1m-plus rehabilitation costs associated with his disability.
In a statement after the settlement, Mr Pugh said: 'The fall turned my life upside down. I wasn't able to work or go out with my friends. My life fell apart.'
He added: 'The interim payments helped massively. I wouldn't have been able to do anything without them. They made sure I was able to pay for any treatment or rehabilitation that I needed. They also helped in securing my new bungalow.'
'The settlement ensures I'm comfortable for the rest of my life and that I'll be looked after. Without it, I would have been in a very difficult position, so I am so grateful for it. I've been able to get back into some of my past hobbies. I'm fishing, and I'm able to get out and about. I'm able to go out with my friends again and enjoy myself, albeit not to the same extent, but I'm still happy.'
HSE response
HSE inspector Robert Gidman said the tragic incident could have been prevented if the company had put in place adequate arrangements to protect its workers from harm.
'Proper assessment of the risks and consideration of work methods, adequate staffing and clear procedures for transferring towers between teams could have enabled this work to go ahead without incident,' he said. 'Instead, because of the company's shortcomings, a worker has sadly and unnecessarily been left paralysed.'
