PYLON WORKER PARALYSED IN FALL SECURES £10M COMPENSATION PACKAGE

Gavin Pugh, a power line maintenance worker from Bangor in north Wales, fell more than 30 feet from an electricity pylon while helping to dismantle it in East Staffordshire in April 2022, according to his legal team. He attached his safety rope to a section that had, unknown to him, been left unfastened at one end by another work team. When he put his weight on the strut, it rotated vertically, causing his safety line to slip off, his lawyers said. He sustained life-changing injuries and was left paraplegic and permanently reliant on a wheelchair, along with damage to his brain, neck, shoulder, ribs and internal organs. He has since secured a settlement worth more than £10m following legal action at the High Court in London.

His employer, Cheshire-based Wood Transmission and Distribution Ltd, was fined £240,000 after an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that "adequate safety arrangements" had not been put in place, the regulator said. Mr Pugh pursued the claim through law firm Stewarts, and an out-of-court settlement described as an "eight figures" sum was reached following negotiations. The package covers loss of future earnings, lifetime 24-hour live-in care, and rehabilitation costs exceeding £1m, his lawyers said. Before the fall, Mr Pugh had been an "active and sociable person" who enjoyed his job and owned a fishing boat, according to his legal team. They said his injuries had affected "every part of his life", leaving him with "life-changing physical limitations" and "significant psychological consequences".

Interim payments secured by his lawyers ahead of the final settlement funded private rehabilitation, round-the-clock care and a new bungalow, Stewarts said. Mr Pugh said the fall "turned my life upside down", adding that he was no longer able to work or go out with friends and that "my life fell apart". He said the interim payments "helped massively" and that he would not have been able to do anything without them. He added that the money ensured he could pay for any treatment or rehabilitation he needed. The settlement concludes legal proceedings brought against Wood Transmission and Distribution Ltd over the 2022 fall.