Injured Welder Wins Right to Compensation

A welder who suffered a serious brain injury in a tragic workplace accident has won the right to compensation at the High Court.

The accident happened when Mark Downs, 39, was walking along a designated walkway on the factory floor where he worked for Hadee Engineering Ltd. in Sheffield. A sheet of metal, which was being manoeuvred using a tandem lift, swung out of position, knocking Mr Downs against a skip. He suffered a fractured skull, fractures to both eye sockets and a serious brain injury. He had to be resuscitated twice on the journey to the hospital.

After undergoing a 16-hour operation to have titanium plates inserted into his skull, and months of rehabilitation, Mr Downs is blind and paralysed down the left side of his body.

When the claim was brought, the company refused to accept full liability. However, the judge at Sheffield High Court found that it was 100 per cent liable for the injuries to Mr Downs.

The company was found to have breached a number of health and safety regulations, including failing to carry out a risk assessment, not providing adequate training for one of the crane drivers and carrying out operations without a supervisor present.

Now that the extent of the company’s liability for Mr Downs’ injuries has been established, the exact amount of the compensation award will be calculated. This will cover the cost of speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and Mr Downs’ other care and rehabilitation needs.