A builder was left paralyzed and stranded on floor for six hours

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A builder was left paralyzed from the chest down after falling through a ceiling at a housing site in Derbyshire. Father-of-three Andrew Clifford lay face down on the floor for nearly six hours before a delivery driver discovered him, estimating the time by listening to hourly news updates on his radio.

Clifford, 51, was working alone, installing first-floor joists at a house on Main Road in Dronfield for Paul Freeman Limited, a Mansfield-based company he had been with for around 20 years. On the morning of October 31, 2022, he slipped and fell from the first floor to the ground below, sustaining severe spinal cord injuries that left him paralyzed from the chest down, with only limited movement in his hands and arms. He spent nearly five months in the hospital recovering.

Recalling the incident, Clifford said, “The first thing I remember after falling was landing on my head. From that moment, it felt strange—I felt no pain but couldn’t move or understand why.” He initially tried to move every hour but soon realized the seriousness of his injuries and decided to stay still to avoid further harm. “As it got darker, I grew really worried,” he said. Eventually, a delivery driver found him, calling out, “hello, hello, hello.” Clifford believes he fell between 9 and 9:30 am and wasn’t found until 3 pm.

The accident has dramatically altered Clifford’s life. Once a dedicated builder, he now finds himself unable to do even simple tasks he once enjoyed, such as gardening or washing his car. “I can’t do anything I used to love doing before,” he said. “I haven’t been upstairs in my house since the accident; my wife and daughters sleep upstairs, and I sleep alone downstairs. The thought of not being able to walk my daughters down the aisle someday really upsets me.”

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Paul Freeman Limited had failed to ensure the work was properly planned, leaving no safety measures in place to prevent falls during construction. The company pleaded guilty to safety breaches at Derby Magistrates’ Court, receiving a fine of £40,000 and costs of £6,263.

HSE inspector Sara Andrews emphasized the preventable nature of the incident, stating, “My thoughts remain with Andrew and his family, whose lives have changed dramatically as a result of this preventable incident. This case highlights the critical need to thoroughly assess risks for all work at height and to implement control measures, especially when working alone.”