Brownhills firm to pay £23k after teenager loses fingers
A company director and his firm must pay a court bill of more than £23,000 after a teenager lost three fingers and a thumb in an horrific accident which he today said had 'ruined my life'.
Louis Parkes suffered the injuries after being told to clean a metal cutting saw at JSF Stainless Steel in Brownhills.
Director Richard Lancaster was yesterday found guilty of neglect over the accident following a two-day trial after District Judge Michael Morris ruled the 35-year-old must have instructed Mr Parkes to clean the saw.
JSF, based in Chase Road, had already admitted breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act. Lancaster was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay legal costs of £2,630 and a government surcharge of £15.
The company must fork out £6,000 in fines and £13,000 in legal costs, plus the £15 surcharge. The total bill for Lancaster and JSF is £23,660.
Mr Parkes, now aged 19, was just 17 when his left hand was slashed by a 21cm blade when he was removing metal shavings from a Sabre saw at JSF.
The teenager, who now works as a forklift truck driver at another company, today said he was pleased with the outcome of the court case but would forever be left counting the cost.
"I am happy but I think a lot of stress and worry could have been avoided if Mr Lancaster had admitted responsibility straight away," Mr Parkes, of Osprey Grove, Heath Hayes, said.
"The last thing I wanted or needed was to go through a trial after all the operations."
Recalling the horrific accident, Mr Parkes said: "I was removing the swarf when my glove caught on the blade and it pulled my hand down.
"I went into shock, pulled my hand away and thought 'that was lucky'. But then I looked down and saw fingers missing and some hanging off.
"I will continue to have more surgery as I get older. It has been two years now and I am getting used to it but there is so much you need two hands for that it has ruined my life.
"It is a relief that this is now over so I can start to move on."
Mr Parkes was working as a general labourer tasked with sweeping the floors and keeping the workshop clean when the accident happened in June 2011, Walsall Magistrates' Court heard.
The court was told Lancaster, who lives in Derbyshire, was on the workshop floor but denied telling Mr Parkes to clear the machine with a wooden broom handle used as rake.
After the hearing, the firm's managing director Mike Ottewell, said he was disappointed that Lancaster, who had worked his way up from an apprentice to junior director, was singled out.
