Until last week doctors were unsure of the long term effect of Gillham injuries, which included a fractured skull and a fractured spine, but have now confirmed he is paralysed from the waist down. Gillham, who is employed by the crane’s owner HTC, was in intensive care for four and a half weeks following the accident.
He told the BBC he has no recollection of the incident in which he was thrown from the cab of the 60m high Wolff 500 tower crane and was rescued from the debris of a block of flats partially demolished by the crane’s counterweight.
ADVERTISEMENTHTC’s group safety director David Faulds told CJ the company would strive to find Gillham work for when he is fit enough to return and confirmed that he has remained on full pay since the accident happened. “Unfortunately he can’t go back to crane driving but we will endeavour to keep him, perhaps as a trainer, although that decision will have to be made in consultation with him when he’s ready to return,” said Faulds.
The HSE’s investigation into the cause of the accident is concentrating on the lower tower sections and the foundations.
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