Dad-of-two Blair Campbell, 35, was fatally electrocuted when he hit the wire of a pole-mounted substation.
And now the wife of Blair Campbell is set to sue a major energy firm after an inquest ruled that her husband died of an electric shock.
The 35-year-old accidentally hit a wire of a pole-mounted substation when he was cutting at a local home in the English county of Cheshire on October 3, 2022.
According to an inquest heard at Cheshire Coroner’s Court last year, he was airlifted to hospital but died a short time later.
Blair Campbell and his wife Tina.
News in 90 Seconds – Tuesday October 7
The inquest heard that the pole structure of the substation had been covered in dense ivy at the time, which had completely covered any warning signs.
The court also heard that prior to Blair’s death, numerous reports had been made about a need to remove the ivy but they were not acted on.
Despite the inquest’s findings, Blair’s wife Tina has revealed she has never received an apology or compensation from the company that operated the station.
According to the inquest, the family had moved from New Zealand to the UK in 2020 when Blair set up his business, Blue Kiwi Gardens and Maintenance.
The couple met in his native New Zealand with Tina describing her late husband as her “soul mate”.
Blair Campbell.
She told the Daily Mail: “We met while I was in New Zealand and he decided to move to the UK to be with me,” she continued. “After that, we were inseparable and couldn’t wait to spend our future together.
“I’ll never forget the feeling when I was told that he had died. He’d gone off to work as normal and said it was only a half day so I didn’t expect it was a big job.
“To this day, I still wake up hoping that it’s all been a terrible nightmare.”
SP Energy Networks has now made changes to its health and safety policy following the tragic incident, but Tina says there has been “silence” from the company directly. As a result, she and her represenatives are now seeking direct legal action.
The widow added: “My solicitors have been in touch since the inquest with Scottish Power [owners of SP Energy Networks] sending paperwork, but basically there has been silence.
“As a result my solicitors have had to put the matter back into the courts.
Tina also stated that the matter “could have been avoided” if the multiple reports about clearing up the ivy had been acted upon.
The couple have two children and Tina says taking care of her son and daughter while balancing full-time work has been “very stressful”.
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