A north man who lost the use of his right arm after a horrific sawmill accident has launched legal fight for compensation.
Stuart Boden got trapped in machinery at John Gordon and Son’s yard while he carried out maintenance.
An artery was pierced and nerves in his arm were crushed and medics have told the 43-year-old mechanical engineer it could take years for him to recover.
A Health and Safety Executive probe into the incident on October 16 has been carried out and no action will be taken against the Nairn-based sawmill.
But Mr Boden plans to sue the company on the basis the machine which maimed him should not have been in operation.
The incident happened just weeks after the company was fined £80,000 for safety breaches which led to the death of long-serving employee Peter Ord, who got trapped in woodworking equipment in February 2014.
Mr Boden, a married dad of three from Nairn, said he “nearly died” in the accident.
He said: “I get upset about the accident quite a lot. It’s an injury that will take possibly years to repair and get better.”
Mr Boden said that moments before the incident he had gone to connect a cable at the back of a quad saw machine, believing the air supply was switched off and the electrics were isolated.
It turned on unexpectedly and his right arm was trapped for about five minutes as he “screamed for help”.
Co-workers managed to push against the seven bars of pressure from the saw frame trapping his arm, switch off the air supply off and pull him free.
Mr Boden, who is now regularly seen by consultants, orthopedic and vascular surgeons and a hydrotherapist, said: “It was immediate pain and I kept thinking about my wife and kids and getting out of the machine and blood was pumping down my back.
“It missed my head by about an inch. It severed an artery and crushed all the nerves in my right arm.”
A spokeswoman for John Gordon and Son said: “The HSE investigation into Mr Boden’s accident has been concluded and no action will be taken by them.
“Mr Boden has instructed solicitors to claim damages and we are dealing with this matter and obviously cannot comment further.”