An SSE worker fixing power cuts has been taken to hospital after being hit by flying debris caused by strong winds at a Mintlaw petrol station.
Winds gusting up to 80mph have swept Aberdeenshire today from Storm Otto with a yellow weather warning in force.
About 30,000 homes across the region have been hit by power cuts with crews out throughout the day working to restore electricity.
Now it has been revealed one employee had to be taken to hospital after being injured at a petrol station in Mintlaw while working in the treacherous conditions.
The man had been attempting to fill up his van before heading to work as an SSE repairman. Mintlaw has been one of the worst affected communities from power cuts.Â
Meanwhile, parts of the petrol station roof were also blown off. The forecourt was closed following the incident this morning.
Emergency services were called to the business early this morning after the man was hit by a for sale sign that had blown off from a nearby pub.
It knocked him to the ground and he was unable to get up.
Kapil Bhargava, a worker at the petrol station saw the incident happen.
He said: “The man came in this morning to fill up his fuel.
“We called an ambulance and they took him to the hospital. He was responding but couldn’t move.”
‘SSE workers risk their lives’
The injured man’s daughter Simone Petrie told the Press & Journal she thinks more people need to respect the dangerous situations repair workers have to work in – especially in poor conditions.
She said: “It was a proper big board and hit him on the left-hand side. He was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and has a broken arm and a severely bruised hip.”
“He is home now, but it could have been a lot worse. It probably flew at him at about 65 miles per hour.
“These people who work for SSE risk their lives when they try and fix our electricity. I understand people are annoyed but maybe they should stop slating people who are trying to fix things.”
The ambulance service has been contacted for comment.
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