Workplace horror: Man accepted his own death when hydraulic press crushed him in terrifying ordeal
A man who was involved in a workplace accident straight out of a horror film recalls how he heard each of his ribs snap ‘like a twig’ when a hydraulic press crushed him in an ordeal that left him accepting his own death.
Nigel Barnett was working in Derbyshire, when he was instructed to help a colleague who was attempting to repair a fault with a hydraulic press machine.
As far as Nigel - who lives in Eckington - could see, the machine was perfectly safe as the mesh guards had been removed and the doors were open, which should have prevented the machine from operating.
Yet as he climbed inside a nightmare ensued - the machine began to operate and he was pinned against the wall by the unstoppable press.
Emergency services were called to the scene and Nigel was eventually freed and taken to hospital - he remained there for three days.
The incident saw him suffer injuries including broken ribs, and a puncture wound to the left side of his rib cage which left him with permanent scarring and lower back pain.
During the traumatic ordeal, Nigel said that he had to ‘accept’ that in that moment he was going to die.
The 61-year-old said: “I crawled into the machine, which was not very big at all.
“When the hydraulic ram actuated, I was on my hands and knees and it crushed me along the right side of my chest and hips.
“It slowly pressed me up against the metal grill, so I was between the ram and the grill, which is where the bolt holding the grill penetrated my left side.
“Slowly, my ribs were being crushed from the side, pushing them up and forward and slowly breaking them one at a time - not quickly as in normal fractures but the ribs were being bent to breaking point, as in bending a twig ‘til it breaks.
“So I had to endure this fear and pain as each one slowly fractured.
“I could hear them each time.
“I was finding it increasingly hard to breathe and was being rolled at the hips, so my lower back was put under a great deal of force and strain, as my legs and hips were rotated while my upper body stayed trapped.
“At this point, the emergency stop was pressed and the machine stopped, leaving me with about five to ten millimetres of chest expansion.
“Luckily this was what allowed me just enough oxygen to stay alive but obviously I was in immense pain and I was twisted into a horrible position.
“I endured that for 20 to 30 minutes.
“I knew I was going to die that day and strangely, I accepted it.
“I decided to die like a man, not moaning or complaining - not once during my ordeal did I scream, beg or cry.”
Following the accident, Nigel was off work for around four months and needed care and assistance from his family, especially his wife, to help him with everyday tasks.
Due to the emotional trauma, he also needed to have psychological therapy, including cognitive behavioural therapy, to help him come to terms with his ordeal.
Nigel eventually contacted a solicitor, who over the space of a few years helped him settle his case for a five figure sum.
Now, almost three years on from the tragedy, he is back at work - though admits it still has an impact on him.
“For the first year or so after I was very nervy and nervous around machines - especially when getting into them,” he added.
“I still am to a certain degree, but it’s not as bad as it was - with time it changes.
“I’m just a lot more careful now - I double or triple check everything to the point that it probably bores people.”
Sarah Tagg of Norrie Waite and Slater, Nigel’s solicitors, said: “I am extremely pleased to have brought this serious accident case to a successful conclusion for Mr Barnett.
“I can only imagine how excruciatingly painful and psychologically damaging his accident at work was for him and no amount of compensation will ever help him to forget that day at work.
“Employers need to do all that they can to ensure that work equipment is safe and maintained regularly and that thorough safety checks are undertaken regularly.
“They should also ensure that their employees are fully trained upon the equipment that they are using and strictly adhere to the Health and Safety at Work and the Provisions and Use of Work Equipment Regulations.
“Hopefully now the case has settled, Mr Barnett may be able to try to put this traumatic accident behind him.”
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