Yahoo News Dad lost all his independence after being burned at work
A dad who suffered serious chemical burns at work died four years later.
Dad-of-two Graham Faulkner, 64, from Warrington, was working for Industrial Chemicals Limited when he was injured by a liquid containing caustic soda.
Graham was only wearing standard safety boots when he came into contact with the liquid, which caused burns to his feet. The safety permit Graham had been given by his employer did not state he should wear rubber safety boots for protection rather than standard ones, reports Cheshire Live.
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Shortly afterwards, Graham developed flu-like symptoms and he was admitted to hospital, where he was diagnosed with sepsis linked to the burns. After developing complications, Graham was left quadriplegic and spent 18 months in hospital.
Once discharged, he suffered with respiratory symptoms for the next four years and was frequently admitted to hospital before he died in March 2019. An inquest into Graham's death at Cheshire Coroner's Court concluded he died from pneumonia with respiratory failure, arising from the chemical burns.
Graham's wife Valerie, 66, said: "Before his injury, Graham was never really one to complain about feeling ill. So when he asked me to make him a GP appointment, I knew something wasn’t right, but not for one minute did I ever expect his condition to deteriorate as it did.
"The last years of Graham’s life were very tough on him. He lost all of his independence and had to be cared for, which he struggled to accept. It was also awful for us to have to watch him get worse and know that we couldn’t do anything to help."
Coroner Elizabeth Wheeler will issue a prevention of future deaths report calling on the Health and Safety Executive to set out what measure it would take to prevent future deaths.
This comes after the inquest was told that when police tried to investigate Graham's death, there was insufficient evidence.
Valerie says that even though she is "relieved" the coroner listened to her concerns, she knows it won't bring Graham back.
She said: "I’d give anything to have Graham back, so he could see his granddaughter grow up and for us to carry on with the rest of our lives, enjoying the plans we made. It devastates me that it’s no longer possible, and that’s down to his workplace.
"Grieving for him has been made worse by the time that it’s taken for us to get any answers over what happened to him. I’m relieved that we finally have these now and that the Coroner has listened to our concerns and is making sure that improvements are made to prevent this from happening to anyone else.
"Sadly, however, this won’t bring Graham back and I don’t think I’ll ever come to terms with that."
Following Graham's death, Valerie instructed Harriet Trail, a specialist accident lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, to investigate and help her obtain answers.
She said: "Understandably, coming to terms with losing Graham in the way that they did continues to be incredibly difficult for his family, in particular, Valerie.
"Graham’s loved ones have spent the last five years having many questions regarding his death and the last nine years with questions about how he was injured.
"While nothing will make up for their suffering, we’re pleased to have at least been able to provide them with the answers they deserve.
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