Power line worker wins £10 million compensation after 30-foot pylon fall left him paralysed

A power line maintenance worker who was left paralysed after falling more than 30 feet from an electricity pylon has secured a compensation package worth over £10m.

Gavin Pugh, from Bangor in north Wales, was working to dismantle a pylon in East Staffordshire in April 2022 when he attached his safety rope to a section which, unbeknown to him, had 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. Mr Pugh plunged over 30 feet to the ground, sustaining life-changing injuries.

Then aged 33, he was left paraplegic and permanently reliant on a wheelchair, and also suffered injuries to his brain, neck, shoulder, ribs and internal organs.

His employer, Cheshire-based Wood Transmission and Distribution Ltd, was subsequently fined £240,000 following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive, which found that "adequate safety arrangements" had not been put in place.

Mr Pugh took legal action against the company at the High Court in London. Following negotiations, his legal team at Stewarts confirmed an out-of-court care and compensation settlement worth an "eight figures" sum.

The funds will cover loss of future earnings, lifetime 24-hour live-in care, and rehabilitation costs exceeding £1m.

Following the settlement, Mr Pugh's lawyers said that he had been an "active and sociable person" who enjoyed his job and owned a fishing boat before the fall.

They added that 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 funded vital private rehabilitation, care and a new bungalow prior to the final agreement.

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.

"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."

At a magistrates court hearing in 2024, the company was fined for breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulation 2005. HSE inspector Robert Gidman said the "tragic incident" could have been avoided if the business had "put in place adequate arrangements to protect its workers from harm".

He added: "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," but instead, "because of the company’s shortcomings, a worker has sadly and unnecessarily been left paralysed".