A man who suffered internal injuries when a colleague blasted compressed air up his bottom has seen his claim for compensation halted.
Gareth Durrant, a former employee of Willerby Holiday Homes in Hull, reached a settlement with the caravan manufacturer for the industrial injury he sustained in a prank gone wrong last July, although the details of the settlement remain a secret.
Mr Durrant, an electrician, had been working on wiring a new caravan, suspended mid-air, while two colleagues worked below him.
In the seconds before the incident he had asked colleague Daniel Robinson, who was holding a compressed air hose, not to pass it to other co-worker Adam Herring because he was ‘a bit of a prankster.’
Suddenly, said Mr Durrant, “I just felt an absolute gush of wind blow through my anus."
Michael Jones, representing Willerby, said the attack was a "foolish act of Mr Herring outside the course of his employment".
The compressed air, at a pressure of 300 lbs/sq inch, left Mr Durrant with a six-inch tear in his bowel and intestinal damage. Hull County Court heard that he now suffers from stomach pains, depression and panic attacks, and has not been able to return to work.
Although the civil procedure has been halted, it remains possible that the Health and Safety Executive may bring prosecutions with regards to the incident.