Electrician seeks €1m in future lost wages

AN electrician, whose foot was badly broken after being driven over by a forklift, has claimed almost €1million in future lost earnings – despite still working for the ESB, the High Court has heard.

The ESB has admitted liability for Aaron O’Connor’s accident, but its counsel has said the ‘battle-ground’ is the ‘eye wateringly high’ additional earnings claim.

Hugh Mohan SC, for the ESB, said: ‘Liability is not at issue regarding the injury itself. The issue is the extent of the claim being made regarding future loss of earnings, aids and appliances, from a current employee of ESB. That’s the battleground. The claim for special damages is for a million euro, despite the fact that the individual is a full-time worker with us and has full-time overtime with us.’

Mr O’Connor admitted it ‘seemed high’ but said he was worried he might have to leave his job if the pain in his foot got worse, or lose his job if he could not fulfil his duties due to his injury.

Judge Michael Hanna was told that Mr O’Connor, from Rollins Villas, Sallynoggin, Dublin, is a 28-year-old qualified electrician with two young children. He suffered the injury when a colleague drove a forklift over his foot on April 15, 2013, at a steelyard in Kilteel, Co. Kildare.

He sustained broken bones and ligament damage and was later operated on to fuse the broken ankle. Mr O’Connor told the court he can no longer walk on uneven ground, climb ladders with rungs, or climb ESB poles and pylons. He said he now works in metering, but he said he feared for his future in the company. He said he believed he no longer could do the activities required in his job description as network technician.

Mr Mohan said Mr O’Connor had not been required since September 2015 to climb ladders or poles, or to walk on uneven ground, and that he had a valued role in metering, with a permanent job.

Mr Mohan said the ESB had written to Mr O’Connor in June this year, stating that he would not suffer any detriment at work because of his injury, or as a result of the court proceedings.

Judge Michael Hanna said Mr O’Connor was entitled to be worried about the future. He said that how that translated to damages was ‘another day’s work’.

The case continues today.