Liverpool Chandlers Wharf paralysed crane driver seeks damages

A crane driver left paralysed after he was thrown from a crane in Liverpool city centre is hoping a civil claim for damages will be settled soon.

Iain Gilham, of Whiston, has spoken about the ordeal for the first time since the crane fell on apartments at Chandlers Wharf in July 2009.

Two construction firms were found guilty of health and safety breaches by Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday.

Bowmer and Kirkland Ltd was fined £280,000 and Bingham Davis Ltd £1,015.

Mr Gilham, 55, was thrown from his cab onto the apartment block, falling 50ft (15m) through the hole in the building punched by the crane's 56 tonne counterweights.

He suffered a brain haemorrhage, fractured skull, spine fractures and a broken shoulder and is now confined to a wheelchair.

He said he did not remember the accident. He was a manager of the site so would not have been in the driver's seat had it not been for the usual driver being on holiday.

He said: "Let's face it nobody wants to be like this.

"My days are a lot shorter now because I end up having to be in bed a lot of the time.

"The injuries I've had has robbed me of part of my life. I need carers all the time and that is the worst - worse than not being able to walk."

He added that his marriage had also fallen part because his personality had changed since the accident.

But Mr Gilham said that he wanted to move on with his life.

"There's no point looking for revenge, you've got to deal with what's happened," he said.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into the incident found that the crane collapsed because its foundation had been weakened.

The HSE said that, during the construction of the crane's foundation, both firms agreed to cut away essential steel reinforcement bars from the four concrete foundation piles.

Summing up, Judge Gilmour said he was satisfied that it was the removal of the reinforcing steel and the inadequate replacement of the steel rods that led to the foundation being overloaded and the crane collapsing.