A man from the north-east lost his arm in a tragic accident at work and has since filed a claim for compensation against Aberdeenshire Council for the accident at work. The accident left Steven Gallon in agony as his arm, shoulder and even part of his collarbone was ripped off in an accident. Mr Gallon is seeking £2 million in compensation for injury, his loss of earnings and future pain and suffering.

The accident happened at Inverboyndie Waste Treatment Plant in 2004, and has, according to Mr Gallon’s father, caused his son much anguish. Mr Gallon also has four children.

Mt Gallon’s father lives with his son now. He stated:

These last four-and-a-half years have been very hard for him and I have seen a real change in him.

I hear him through the night, screaming when he’s having horrible flashbacks and nightmares.

He says he can feel his left hand like it is clenched into a fist, although it’s not there. He has been through so much and it has been hard for me to see him going through it.

The hearing for Mr Gallon’s personal injury claim will be held on May 29th in Edinburgh. An Aberdeenshire Council spokesperson stated:

The matter is being handled by our insurers and we cannot comment further.

Aberdeenshire Council was prosecuted in 2005 after the accident at work was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive. The machinery that Mr Gallon was using at the time didn’t have a guard, which resulted in his hand becoming trapped. The council was fined just £12,000 for the incident after they pleaded guilty for breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.