A soft drinks factory worker who suffered crush injuries to his hand after helping a colleague to fix a broken machine has received a substantial sum in compensation.

Keith Boyer, 65, from near Lutterworth, needed surgery on his left hand after it became caught in a machine at Britvic Soft Drinks in Rugby.

The machine, used to make glass bottles, had broken down and he and a colleague were turning it’s drum by hand. There was no guard on the machine and his hand became trapped.

Crush injuries to fingers

He suffered crush injuries to his thumb and three fingers. He also suffered tendon and nerve damage to his ring finger.

His injuries were so bad he needed an operation to repair them and spent a week in hospital recovering. He needed 50 stitches in his hand.

He was able to return to work six weeks later on light duties. The technical operator has since returned to his regular job but said that there are certain tasks which he can no longer do due to loss of dexterity.

Thompsons Solicitors made claim for compensation

Mr Boyer, who has worked for Britvic for 12 years, instructed Thompsons Solicitors to pursue a claim for compensation.

Thompsons argued that Britvic should have ensured guards were on the machine and that warning signs were put up to prevent the accident from happening.

Britvic settled the claim out of court.

Mr Boyer said: “I never imagined that my hand would become trapped. It wasn’t something I had been warned about in the past and therefore I assumed it was safe.

“My hand will never be the same again but I’m trying my best to cope with it best I can.”

There should have been a guard on the machine

Angela Staples from Thompsons Solicitors added: “Britvic failed on two levels. There should have been a guard on the machine to prevent this type of crush injury from occurring and warning signs should have informed staff about the danger.

“Mr Boyer is coping well with his injuries but his loss of movement means he cannot do some tasks any more.”