Man 'Will Never Walk Again' After Work Accident

Bury-based company Spectra Scaffolding has been fined £40,000 and ordered to pay costs after a worker suffered life-changing injuries when he was crushed by metal tubes which fell from a crane in an accident at work.

David Collins, 31, from Manchester, suffered serious head, back and leg injuries in the incident in November 2008 at Festival Park in Stoke-on-Trent, when he was unloading the scaffolding tubes from the back of a truck using a crane.

He was operating the crane controls when a lifting sling detached from the crane hook and the tubes fell onto him.  The worker has been told he will never walk again as a result of the injuries sustained.

An investigation revealed that Mr Collins was not properly trained or supervised for the work, while Spectra also failed to plan it adequately and had not replaced a faulty catch on the crane hook which they were aware of.

Jonathan Betts, Partner and serious injury specialist at Irwin Mitchell’s Manchester office, acts for those who have had their lives turned upside down as a result of work accidents.

Discussing this case, he said: “This is a terrible example of the dangers which can face those working in the construction industry if employers do not follow safety guidelines and fail to ensure workers are fully prepared for involvement in specific projects.

“In addition, companies have a duty to ensure that all equipment is well-maintained and fully risk assessed.

“Sadly, in our experience such cases are not uncommon and we have long campaigned for employers to fully recognise the importance of health and safety. Lessons must be learned from cases like this if the same mistakes are not going to be made by firms in the future.”