A WIDOW is suing an energy giant after her gardener husband was electrocuted while pruning a hedge.
Blair Campbell was carrying out work on an ivy-covered bush when he accidentally came into contact with a substation wire.
The dad-of-two, 35, was airlifted to hospital following the horror near Wilmslow, Cheshire, but tragically died shortly after.
An inquest found the thick ivy on the bush had covered warning signs about the substation – meaning Blair was unaware of the danger lurking underneath.
His devastated wife Tina Liu-Campbell is now suing major UK electricity network power provider SP Manweb PLC following the death of her “soulmate”.
She said: “Our future together has been taken from me and the children, and it’s still incredibly difficult to come to terms with how suddenly everything changed.
“The hurt and pain we feel over Blair’s death is still as raw now as it was on the day he was taken from us.
“I’ll never forget the moment I was told he had died. No one expects their husband to go to work and never come home.
“Even now, I still wake up hoping it’s all been a terrible nightmare.
“Taking this case to the High Court is something I never imagined I would have to do, but I feel I owe it to Blair and to our children to make sure what happened to him is fully understood.
“No family should ever have to go through this. All I want is clarity and justice, so steps can be taken to help prevent anything like this happening again.”
The electricity distribution company which was responsible for maintaining the substation, made changes to its health and safety policy following the horror.
But the firm, which is part of Scottish Power, has denied liability for Blair’s death in a civil claim.
Lawyers have now issued proceedings in the High Court on behalf of Tina arguing the firm’s health and safety breaches were responsible for Blair’s death.
Irwin Mitchell said this includes SP Manweb PLC failing to ensure members of the public were not exposed to danger from the high-voltage electrical equipment at the site.
Lawyers also claim the firm failed to keep the support pole, substation and surrounding area in a reasonably safe condition and allowed extensive ivy to grow – concealing warning signs.
SP Manweb PLC also failed to ensure high-voltage wires were adequately insulated or protected, Irwin Mitchell said.
The inquest was told Blair ran firm, Blue Kiwi Gardens and Maintenance, after moving to the UK from New Zealand to be with Tina.
On October 3, 2022, he had gone to work to prune the hedge when he suffered the fatal shock.
Thick ivy on the bush had covered warning signs about the substation – meaning Blair was unaware of the danger underneath.
The court was told that before Blair’s death, numerous reports had been made about a need to remove the ivy that were not acted on.
Steve Hill, the workplace accident lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Tina, said: “Tina and her family remain devastated by Blair’s death and the circumstances surrounding it.
“The inquest heard worrying evidence regarding health and safety at the site which we believe played a key role in Blair’s unnecessary death. Despite this SP Manweb PLC has denied liability.
“All Tina wants is for all lessons possible to be learned from what happened to improve health and safety for other workers.
“Despite the seriousness of this case, it’s regrettable that SP Manweb PLC has failed to resolve the claim amicably.
“Therefore, we call on the company to work with us to resolve this case as quickly as possible so that Tina and her family can try to start rebuilding their lives after this awful tragedy.”
SP Manweb PLC is part of ScottishPower’s networks business, SP Energy Networks.
A spokesperson for SP Energy Networks said: “We extend our condolences to Mr Campbell’s family and friends.
“As this matter is currently the subject of legal proceedings, we are unable to comment further at this time.”
