Apprentice who was left a 'human fireball' in horrific accident wins six-figure payout
Warning: This article contains graphic images which some readers may find distressing.
A teenage boy has secured a six-figure payout after a harrowing workplace accident left him in an induced coma with third-degree burns.
When Manchester lad Dwayne Bell was just 17 years old, he went to work as an apprentice at a steelyard in Greater Manchester as part of his college course, a job which involved burning rubbish in a metal bin.
Left unsupervised by workers who were '20 or 30 years' older than him, Dwayne used paint thinner in an attempt to light wet wood, unaware of sparks beneath.
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The next thing Dwayne remembers is his entire world 'turning orange' as he was engulfed in flames.
"I was standing in the middle of a massive flame," Dwayne, now 22, recalled. "As soon as I felt the whoosh of heat, I shut my eyes as I didn't want to go blind. It was like a bomb exploding in my face."
Workers in the yard rushed over to assist the teenager, who at first was unaware of the extent of the injuries he'd sustained.
"I had feathers on me from the jacket and my face was red with skin peeling off but I didn't think it was that bad as I felt no pain," he remembered of the aftermath.
"I never knew how bad it really was."
It wasn't until Dwayne was on his way to the hospital that he began to realise how badly burned he'd been, as the tip of his nose 'melted'.
He suffered severe, third-degree burns to his body and was placed in an induced coma for a week and needed three skin grafts.
"I was being constantly sick due to the breathing tubes, I couldn't sleep because of the bleeping and I felt like I was on fire whenever I moved," he said, adding that he was terrified that his face would be 'scarred' forever.
"I looked at the nurses and I just begged them to let me die," he continued.
"I couldn't see a future. I was wrapped in bandages, I couldn't move, and the pain was the worst I had ever experienced so I asked the nurses just to turn the machines off and let me go.
"But they wouldn't. It was horrific."
After three weeks in hospital, Dwayne was allowed home under the full-time care of his mother as he was unable to look after himself.
"My mum had to do everything I was helpless. And the pain was so intense and my skin would break easily," he said.
"I couldn't sleep on my side because of my burnt ears so hardly got any sleep - it was a living nightmare."
"I'm trying to move on. But I'm living in a body that feels like a prison.
Five years on from the accident, Dwayne has secured a six-figure payout from Qualfab Steel Ltd, the firm he'd been working at, and is now trying to rebuild his life.
He is an apprentice welder at another firm but is acutely aware of how much worse the incident could've been.
"I shouldn't be here talking to you. I am lucky to be alive," he said. "This shouldn't have happened. I wasn't supervised and no trainee should ever be put in that position."
Speaking about Dwayne's case, Neil Sagar, Senior Associate at Express Solicitors, said: "Dwayne has made a miraculous recovery from his life-changing injuries.
"But he still lives with the consequences of what happened every day, and his ongoing scars will affect his future career."
He continued: "Businesses need to make sure appropriate supervision and training is given to apprentices, especially when working with dangerous disposal methods."
"I have to live with the consequences of what happened there every day," Dwayne added.
"Now I just want to try and live as normal a life as possible."
LADbible have approached Qualfab Steel Ltd for comment.
Brenna Cooper