Hednesford worker in line for seven-figure payout over electric shock

Darrell Baker, of Hednesford, was up a ladder at a Coventry Building Society branch in Arena Park, Coventry, when the shock made his heart stop.

He fell to the ground, suffering a head injury and catastrophic brain damage, London’s High Court heard.

Mr Baker, of Whitfield Road, was guaranteed full compensation for the injuries he suffered in the July 2012 accident. Although the amount of his payout has yet to be assessed, the severity of his injuries means it may well be a seven-figure sum. Mr Baker was working on a light fitting in the building society’s ceiling when disaster struck, said Judge Amanda Yip QC. It later emerged that the junction box to which the fitting was attached had been mis-wired.

That meant the casing of the fitting was live and, when Mr Baker touched another piece of metal, electricity coursed through his body.

In her ruling on Monday Judge Yip found the electrical firm that put in the junction box in 2004 was 75 per cent liable for the accident. Mr Baker’s employers bore the remaining 25 per cent of liability because safety checks on the building society’s electrics in 2009 and 2010 had not revealed the fault. He was an outside contractor doing maintenance work at the Arena Park branch in Coventry and there was no claim against the building society.

Judge Yip rejected arguments that Mr Baker was partially responsible for his own misfortune in working on the light fitting when it was still live.

He had not done anything ‘unreasonable, unexpected or unsafe’, she told the court.

“He had no reason to think that touching the earthed metalwork would have such catastrophic consequences for him.”

The judge said Mr Baker had been left with “significant deficits and cognitive impairment”. He brought his claim through his wife, Kerry Baker. He is entitled to compensation for his pain and suffering, lost earnings and to cover the costs of his care.

The amount of his award will be assessed at a later date.