A British man who lost two of his fingers in an horrific accident at work has been awarded a seven-figure payout but says he’ll be ‘paying the price forever’.
Chris Pawson, 38, was working as a self-employed joiner and had been contracted to work for Blackpool-based BGS Projects Ltd.
Six months into his contract, in February 2022, Pawson said he was asked to complete a ‘rush job’.
“One of the office lads came over and said ‘look, we’ve got a rush job that’s going out today and you need to jump on it now. So I had a brew and jumped on the saw,” he said.
However, unbeknown to Pawson the worker who had used the heavy-duty circular saw before him had failed to properly align the machinery, so when a piece of wood he was cutting at the time snagged it pulled his right hand directly into the spinning blade.
Chris Pawson, 38, was involved in a life-changing accident at work (SWNS)
The blade tore through bone and tissue, resulting in him later losing his middle finger and most of his ring finger.
The dad-of-two added: “There was no pain at the start when it happened. I was in complete shock at that moment. It wasn’t until I saw the blood and later when I was in hospital that I released what had fully happened and the pain fully kicked in.
“The pain was unimaginable, but then the panic about my family life and career hit me.”
The horrific accident left Pawson without his middle finger while his ring finger was partially amputated, and his thumb and index finger sustained extensive nerve, muscle and tendon damage.
The accident also meant that Pawson was unable to help his partner Bryony around the house or with their newborn baby.
He lost two fingers in the work accident (SWNS)
“When I got back from hospital after three days I couldn’t do anything,” he shared.
“Bryony had to do everything for me and around the house while looking after our new baby. I don’t know what I would have done without her. She was my rock. I felt useless but when your hand is damaged it affects every part of your life and there is nothing you can do.”
He was also left unable to work and the bills soon began to pile up.
After being offered £150,000 by his former bosses for the accident, Pawson turned to specialist injury lawyers at Express Solicitors to file a lawsuit against his former employer.
Following a four-year long legal battle, Pawson won an undisclosed ‘seven-figure sum’ that has allowed him to purchase cutting-edge bionic prosthetics from America.
He’s also launched a new career and trains construction workers at the same college he once trained at with the help of his new prosthetic fingers.
Pawson, from Thornton-Cleveley in Lancashire, said: “My life has changed in every way imaginable.
“It shouldn’t have happened and I am paying the price forever for that rushed job that my boss had me do.
He has since been awarded a ‘seven figure’ payout over the accident (SWNS)
“I would say to anyone working on a building site to double check every machine before you use it. It’s just not worth the risk.
“After it happened, I couldn’t even hold my baby. It was devastating. I couldn’t do anything . Until you have lived it you don’t realise how much you rely on your hand for everything.
“I have always been right-handed but had to train myself to use my hand again with new prosthetics and use my other hand more. I have had some really dark times and now we are on the other side only because of the legal action.
“Now I have got access to the latest prosthetics from America for the rest of my life which helps me to live as normal a life as possible. I have also got a new career and my life is back on track.”
BGS Projects Ltd has been contacted for comment.
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