'Horror accident at work saw me lose my hand in an instant - and my life'

A grandfather says he feels his life is over after he lost all the fingers on his right hand in a horrific crushing incident at a plant.

Ivan Filipov, 62, was forced to have all of his fingers on his dominant hand amputated after it was struck by a fan in a heavy duty machine he was cleaning whilst at work. He believed the machine had been turned off.

Now Ivan, who still has not been fitted with any two years after the incident, is taking legal action through .

Despite his employer’s insurer admitting 80% liability in March last year the funds are not enough to pay for all his needs, including a prosthetic hand, rehabilitation, paying bills and a planned refurbishment of his home, as he is unable to work.

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Ivan said: “I feel life ended when I lost most of my hand in that machine. I am useless now as I can’t support my family or even hold my grandchildren as I am terrified I will drop them.

“I am angry as it has been more than two years since the incident, but still my former employer hasn’t sent enough money for me to pay my bills and get a prosthetic hand to allow me to try and move on with my life. I have been struggling for two years and desperately want this resolved.”

Ivan, who was originally from , was working as a maintenance engineer at Pro Environmental, a plastic recycling plant, in Rochester, Kent, in October 2022.

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He was asked to assist with clearing a blockage in a plastic flake watering machine and did not realise a large fan was still rotating.

He said: “I thought the machine had been turned off and my boss had opened it up to start cleaning it. I took over and put my hand in when it was smashed by a fan.

“The pain was like nothing I ever felt. It was excruciating and I was in agony. It was without a doubt the worst moment of my life. My whole life changed in that moment.

“The doctors said they wouldn’t be able to save my hand and I was devastated. It was terrifying. All my life I have worked with my hands and now I can’t use my right hand. I can barely write with my left hand. How am I ever going to be able to work again?”

Ivan has had to move back to Pernik, in Bulgaria, and is living in a one bedroom apartment with his wife and mother in law.

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He added: “I blame the company for what happened. They didn’t have enough safety measures in place and as a result I have no right hand.

“I am not sure I will ever get over the mental scars. I try to stay strong for the kids, but it is very hard to live like this.”

The company has admitted liability on an 80:20 basis in Ivan’s favour, meaning they take 80% of the blame for the incident.

Sophie Davies, partner and head of personal injury at , who represent Ivan, said: “In a moment my client’s life and his ability to earn for his family was devastated. He is understandably frustrated and angry that it has taken so long and yet he is still without the prosthetics that could help him rebuild his life. I would urge the defendant’s insurers to make more funds available to my client as soon as possible.”

The repeatedly approached Pro Environmental for comment, which by the time of publication had not responded.