A power lines worker left paralysed after falling 30ft from an electricity pylon has secured a compensation package worth more than £10million.
Gavin Pugh, from Bangor in north Wales, was dismantling a pylon in East Staffordshire in April 2022 when he suffered the devastating fall.
Unaware that another team had already worked on part of the structure, the maintenance worker attached his safety line to a section that was secured at just one end.
When Mr Pugh placed his weight on the strut, it swung into a vertical position and the safety rope came loose.
He plunged more than 30ft to the ground, suffering catastrophic injuries that permanently changed his life.
Mr Pugh, who was 33 when the accident occurred, became paraplegic and will require a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He also sustained injuries to his brain, neck, shoulder, ribs and internal organs.
His Cheshire-based employer, Wood Transmission and Distribution Ltd, was later criticised by the Health and Safety Executive, which concluded that “adequate safety arrangements” had not been put in place.
Although another crew had previously carried out work on the pylon, Mr Pugh did not know that the section where he attached his safety line was no longer secure.
Gavin Pugh, from Bangor in north Wales, fell about 30ft from an electricity pylon in East Staffordshire and has now secured compensation worth at least £10million
He unknowingly attached his safety line to a section of the pylon, pictured, that had already been altered by another crew and was secured at only one end
The company was fined £240,000 and subsequently faced a civil claim from Mr Pugh at the High Court in London.
Following negotiations held outside court, the parties agreed a care and compensation package described by Mr Pugh’s lawyers at Stewarts as an “eight-figure” settlement.
The award will cover his injuries and lost future earnings, while also paying for round-the-clock live-in care and more than £1million in rehabilitation costs linked to his disability.
In a statement issued after the settlement, his lawyers said Mr Pugh had been an “active and sociable person” before the accident. He enjoyed his work and owned his own fishing boat.
They said the fall had affected “every part of his life”, leaving him unable to walk and facing “life-changing physical limitations” alongside “significant psychological consequences”.
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Wood Transmission and Distribution Ltd agreed to pay the compensation. Interim payments, secured by Mr Pugh’s legal team, have already helped fund private rehabilitation and care, with the final eight-figure settlement now agreed.
Speaking 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.
“The interim payments helped massively. I wouldn’t have been able to do anything without them.”
Gavin Pugh, pictured before the accident, sued his Cheshire-based employer Wood Transmission and Distribution Ltd over the pylon fall
Mr Pugh has reached an out-of-court compensation agreement with the company
Mr Pugh’s employer agreed to pay compensation, with interim payments secured by his lawyers to fund his private rehab and care plus a final eight-figure settlement
‘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.’
Following a magistrates’ court hearing in 2024, the company was fined £240,000 for breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
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’.
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.
‘Instead, because of the company’s shortcomings, a worker has sadly and unnecessarily been left paralysed.’