Morecambe dad-of-four suffers horrific injuries in garage accident

A father-of-four was folded in two when he was dragged underneath a van in an horrific garage accident.
Stuart Currey in hospital with one of his daughters.Stuart Currey in hospital with one of his daughters.
Stuart Currey in hospital with one of his daughters.

Mechanic Stuart Currey, 28, suffered life-changing injuries including fractures to his right shoulder, pelvis, spine, hip and ribs after the accident at Pye Motors Ltd and had to be airlifted to Royal Preston

Hospital.

Stuart, of Westminster Road, Morecambe said: “I was told to clean the car MOT pit and I was halfway down the pit when I saw a transit van approaching. I raised my brush to say ‘I’m here’ and he stopped so I thought he had seen me.

Stuart Currey in a wheelchair with daughter Ellie.Stuart Currey in a wheelchair with daughter Ellie.
Stuart Currey in a wheelchair with daughter Ellie.
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“I started to go up the stairs and I was one or two stairs from the top when I was dragged under the van. I was folded in two and couldn’t breathe. The van was on top of me. A load of people came running and tried to take the weight of the van off me. They jacked the van up and pulled me out.

“It must have only been a few minutes but it felt a lot longer.

“I was in loads of pain and was given morphine. They put me in an ambulance and took me to the car park at Axa Insurance where I was airlifted to hospital.

“I broke my hip so I’ve been left with one leg longer than the other.

Stuart Currey in a wheelchair with daughter Ellie.Stuart Currey in a wheelchair with daughter Ellie.
Stuart Currey in a wheelchair with daughter Ellie.
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“I’ve still got loads of back pain and I could face major surgery in the future.

“What makes it worse was it was my last week at Pye Motors after working there for nine or 10 years.

“I got run over on the Tuesday and I was due to leave on the Friday and start work at West Coast Railway on the Monday. It was the worst leaving present ever and of course the job with West Coast Railway never happened.

“I’m still in pain every day, even though things are improving, and I want to make sure what happened to me doesn’t happen to anyone else.

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“The injuries I suffered have had a huge impact on my family too, particularly my daughters. One of my daughter’s has been completely traumatised by the whole thing and has been having nightmares. If you even mention hospital she panics. It was very difficult for them to see me in so much pain and I have struggled to do things with my younger children that I was able to do in the past.

“I’m glad Pye Motors has pleaded guilty to the charges brought by the HSE and hope that this is the first step to drawing a line under this traumatic time and that it will allow me to start rebuilding my life and focusing all my efforts on my recovery.”

Since the incident Stuart has been unable to return to work but is getting around more. He is able to play with his daughters now but not to the extent he used to. However, he is more independent and is able to get around without the assistance of Natasha.

The injuries he suffered in the incident, in November 2014, left him in hospital throughout the Christmas period, before he was discharged on New Year’s Eve.

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His former employer Pye Motors Ltd of Morecambe pleaded guilty to breaching safety regulations following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Matt Garson, a specialist serious injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s Manchester office representing Stuart, said: “The HSE prosecution has been a significant milestone for Stuart and Natasha and they are understandably relieved that Pye Motors have pleaded guilty to the charges outlined by the HSE following its investigation into this terrible incident.

“Stuart went to work that day expecting that his employers would do all they could to keep him safe, but sadly they didn’t, and as a result he suffered life-changing injuries, which left him in hospital for almost two months and facing a long recovery battle and the prospect of not being able to continue in his chosen career.

“Stuart is determined to get answers about what happened to him and his former employers taking responsibility for what happened to him is a major step forward. We are now helping Stuart and Natasha in a civil claim against his former employers in a bid to secure him the funds he will require to continue his rehabilitation and physiotherapy.

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“This incident could have been a lot worse and we hope it acts as a reminder to employers of the need to take their responsibilities for safety seriously to avoid incidents like this, which have turned Stuart’s life upside down, in the future.”

A spokesman for Pye Motors Ltd said: “Pye Motors Limited has been co-operating fully with HSE enquiries into an incident that took place in December 2014 involving one of its former employees.

“The incident is currently part of a legal proceeding and so the company is not able to make further comment at this time.”

Pye Motors Ltd will be sentenced in January 2017.

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