// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Worker paralysed in 30ft fall from pylon gets £10m payout
Gavin Pugh was 33 when he fell 30ft and was left paralysed
A maintenance worker whose life was "turned upside down" when he fell 30ft from a power line and was left paralysed has won at least £10m in compensation.
Gavin Pugh was dismantling a pylon in April 2022 when he unknowingly clipped his safety line to a section that was only secure at one end.
His safety rope slipped loose, causing him to plunge to the ground and suffer life-changing injuries to his brain, neck, shoulder, ribs and internal organs which mean he needs a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
Pugh, who was 33 at the time, sued his employer, Wood Transmission and Distribution Ltd, after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found "adequate safety arrangements" had not been in place.
Before the fall, Gavin Pugh was an "active and sociable person" who enjoyed fishing
The Cheshire-based firm was fined £240,000 at a magistrates' court hearing in 2024 over the HSE's findings, before facing High Court proceedings brought by Pugh, from Bangor, Gwynedd.
HSE inspector Robert Gidman told the court the "tragic incident" could have been prevented if the company had "adequate arrangements to protect its workers from harm".
The pylon in Staffordshire had already been worked on by others, with a nut left loose, but this was not something Pugh knew about.
"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," Gidman added.