Car-mad Wade Savage, aged 16, of Cadman Court, Mosborough, dreamt of becoming a mechanic and planned to take a college course later this year.

But tragedy struck when he was involved in a horrific accident at Holdsworth Packaging Ltd where he was working as a handyman during the summer.

He was employed by the factory on Carley Drive, Westfield, to run general errands and assemble cardboard boxes.

On September 4 he was cutting up some cardboard using a machine but as he did so, his hand was dragged into the blades.

"Suddenly my fingers were being pulled into the machine so I pulled them out as quickly as I could. I went into shock as an immense pain hit me and I realised that three of my fingers had been severed."

Wade was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery and his fingers were retrieved - but they were too badly damaged to be re-attached.

The teenager is now struggling to come to terms with his injury which has turned simple tasks into a chore.

"Even now my mum and dad have to help with just day to day things like getting dressed," he said.

"I really don't know what the future holds for me."

Wade's mum Cyria has lodged a claim for compensation against Holdsworth Packaging Ltd on behalf of her son who is too young to do it himself.

"What happened to Wade has been hard for the whole family and as a result I want to raise awareness of the importance of safety at work," said Cyria.

Wade, described by his mum as "mad about cars", now fears his ambitions of becoming a mechanic have been dashed.

"Wade is trying to put on a brave face - he doesn't want people to know he is upset," said Cyria.

"But I am sure he's finding it very hard. His dreams and ambitions have been destroyed."

The family is represented by David Urpeth, of Irwin Mitchell solicitors.

He said: "It is well-known that young workers are at a greater risk of injury than older, more experienced workers.

"Employers who take on young staff have a legal obligation to protect their welfare.

"In this case, a young man's life has been tragically affected."

Chris Holdsworth, managing director of Holdsworth Packaging, said: "I am unable to comment further at this time other than to say we are fully co-operating with the HSE."

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