A MAN who fell head first off an office balcony after he “twisted round and leant out to take a picture” is suing his boss for millions.
Glyn Caddick plummeted to the floor of a warehouse after tumbling over safety bars and mesh on a mezzanine floor three storeys up.
The 54-year-old suffered multiple serious injuries in the fall in 2022, spending nine months in hospital.
His bosses say the accident was his fault – claiming he “fell head first” over the railing whilst “precariously” leaning out to take a picture on his phone at the Manchester building.
He is suing Beauty Bay Ltd for “millions of pounds in damages” along with warehouse owners Gxo Logistics Uk Limited.
He claims that the railing guarding the balcony was not high enough and breached health and safety regulations.
Glyn had been overseeing a move by the company to a new building and the warehouse had been mainly cleared when he made a final check.
Ben Bradley KC told London‘s High Court: “CCTV at the time captured Mr Caddick first moving around the ground floor are of the warehouse, taking photographic evidence of the fact that all stock had been taken,” he said.
“He is then seen making his way up to the mezzanine floors of the warehouse.
“At the time of the accident, he was checking an area of racking/shelving close to a guard rail on the edge of the mezzanine structure.
“It is likely that….he stood on the bottom shelf of the racking so as to enable him to check that the top shelves had been cleared of stock and/or items; he then lost balance and fell over the guard rail.
“As he was no longer standing at floor level, the guard rail was unable to prevent him from falling, because it was insufficiently high to do so.
“He fell the distance of three floors to ground level. He suffered significant injuries as a result.
“It’s frankly amazing that the claimant survived at all.”
The company says Glyn himself was the director with “overall responsibility for health and safety.”
It said that an image was found on Glyn’s phone that seemed to have been taken just before the moment he fell, and showed he put himself in danger.
“He evidently twisted round and leant out with the camera above and well beyond the line of the mesh in order to photograph the scene below,” the company’s lawyer said.
“[He] was probably holding his camera phone in both hands and looking through the viewer, overbalanced and fell head first over the guard rail.
“The claimant’s camera phone was found on the floor of the warehouse close to him after the fall…he was not checking an area of racking/shelving, but taking a photograph.
“It is admitted the claimant lost balance, but that was because he had placed himself in a precarious position.”
Speaking after the hearing, Glyn described the impact of the accident, saying: “Whilst I was in hospital recovering, my family were told that if I woke up, I would not be able to dress and feed myself or speak.
“My wife never gave up on me, even when doctors wanted to withdraw care. After nine months in hospital, including extensive rehabilitation and adaptations to the house, I finally came home.
“Now I am able to walk short distances and have given up my wheelchair. I have problems with my balance and pains in feet, legs and hip areas. I grin and bear it, I am not failing every time, things could be worse. I struggle with my head and bad neuro fatigue which limits me and activities and, often, I end up going to bed.
“But I’m still here, and I am at home with my family.”
The case will return to court for a full trial of Glyn’s claim at a later date.
