A young dad was left unable to hold his new baby son when his hand was crushed during a workplace accident.

Adam Cross, 21, from Port Talbot, South Wales, suffered horrific injuries to his left hand after it was crushed in a paper machine.

Adam’s son was just seven months old when the accident happened in October 2007 at Intertissue Limited in Neath.

The firm makes toilet tissue and other sanitary products and Adam had worked for them for just seven months when he was asked to help a colleague fix a paper jam on a machine.

No training before using machine

Adam was not trained on the machine but was told to pull the paper while his colleague activated the rollers. His hand was crushed between them.

He had to have surgery to fix a fractured index finger and to mend lacerations to his other fingers. He may have to undergo more surgery and has been left with extensive scarring of the whole hand.

Adam had to take 12 months off work to recover from the accident and said he was unable to bond with his new son because he couldn’t hold him, bathe him or change his nappy.

He said: “The timing of this accident couldn’t have been any worse. I had taken on this new job to help provide for my young family but I ended up being so injured that I couldn’t even hold my son. I had to undergo several months of intensive physiotherapy and in total had eight months off work before I could return to Intertissue in a different job.

“I still suffer from pain in my hand, particularly in cold weather which leaves me unable to do simple things like doing up my buttons.”

Employees should be adequately trained on the machines they are working on

Adam contacted Thompsons Solicitors, which has offices in Swansea, to pursue a claim for compensation. Intertissue Ltd was found to be at fault by the court and settled the claim out of court for £16,000.

Eamonn McDonough from Thompsons Solicitors said: “Mr Cross suffered a particularly nasty accident which has long term consequences for the use of his left hand. He was also incapacitated at a time when he should have been enjoying a new addition to his family.

“We hope by highlighting his accident that Intertissue Ltd will ensure that its employees are adequately trained on the machines they are working on and thus avoid this type of accident happening in the future.”