Construction worker awarded €5.2m settlement over building site shock

A young man left brain-damaged and with other devastating injuries as a result of a severe electric shock while working on a building site has secured €5.2m damages in settlement of his High Court action.

On January 14th 2008, a high voltage current coursed through Nicholas Crabbe, then aged 19, after a steel lamp pole he was holding became live when it came into contact with a live overhead power line, the court heard.

Mr Crabbe suffered severe full thickness burns and had to have some fingers and toes amputated after the accident which occurred when he was inserting metal poles for lighting at the IDA industrial park outside Dundalk, Co Louth.

Now aged 24, he is brain-damaged with speaking difficulties and is confined to a wheelchair.

Mr Crabbe, Ventry Road, Cabra, Dublin had, through his mother Pauline, sued his then employers AI Read Electrical Company Ltd, Santry, Dublin and Hydro Excavation (Ireland) Ltd, Damastown, Mulhuddart.

He also sued Kilwex Ltd, Naas, Co Kildare as the main contractor responsible for the construction work on the IDA business park at the time of the accident.

It was claimed the defendant employers were responsible for the operation, management and direction of him in his work and had a duty to provide him with a safe place of work and not to expose him to a risk of of danger.

Kilwex, it was claimed, was obliged to ensure the site was safe and without risk of injury to the safety, health and welfare of Mr Crabbe when working there.

Mr Crabbe was installing steel lamp poles into sockets along the road at the business park when the accident occurred. He was working as part of a two man crew with a colleaguee driving the lorry and operating the crane.

Ms Justice Mary Irvine was told today a steel lamp pole, while suspended from the crane and being manoeuvered into place into the ground socket, came into contact with a live overhead power line.

Turlough O’Donnell SC, for Mr Crabbe, said the high voltage electricity cable had not been disconnected and Mr Crabbe was very severely electrocuted and later suffered two heart attacks causing a deprivation of oxygen to the brain. Mr Crabbe also suffered severe burning, counsel added.

He said the young man is in a wheelchair as physiotherapy has not been available to him for some time. When physiotherapy was available, Mr Crabbe could walk up to fifty metres with a rollametre, counsel added.

After the accident, Mr Crabbe remained in a coma but gradually emerged from that over a four week period after which he spent nine months in the National Rehabilitation Hospital.

Mr Crabbe was supported by his family and a “marvellous” mother who had given up her own work to care for her son day and night, counsel said.

Approving the settlement, the judge said she knew nothing would ever compensate Nicholas or his mother for the injuries received but the money would go some way towards giving him a better quality of life. It was a very good settlement, the judge added.