A man left with an amputated leg after being crushed at a Jaguar Land Rover factory has spoken of his sorrow at how he can no longer dance.

Mark Widnall, aged 59, told of how the company's £900,000 fine is the first stage in drawing a line under the incident.

The accident happened in Febraury 2015 while he was standing between two cars on a production line at its plant in Solihull where he was carrying out vehicle checks.

A colleague drove a vehicle onto the track and hit the accelerator pedal instead of the brake, causing him to collide with another vehicle which then crushed Mr Widnall's leg.

The crush was so serious that he required an amputation above the knee and has had to move house in order to accommodate his needs.

Via a statement issued by the Union trade union, Mr Widnall said: "This is the first stage in drawing a line under my accident but I have been left with a prosthetic limb which means I can’t do things I used to do, like going out dancing.

"I had to move in with my elderly mother for a while who also has to care for my brother.

"It is stressful having to rely on others but I am hugely grateful for the support provided by Unite Legal Services who have been fantastic."

A jury at Birmingham Crown Court convicted Jaguar Land Rover of breaching health and safety regulations and the judge ordered the company to pay a £900,000 fine alongside £49,864 costs.

Mr Widnall is also working with Unite to pursue a claim for compensation.

Howard Beckett, from Unite's legal services team, said: "This is a shocking case. We will be supporting our member through his compensation claim but the fact remains that he has lost a limb due to the negligence of the company and no money will change that.

"Unite Legal Services will continue to fight to get our member the maximum compensation to help him rehabilitate and return to as independent a life as possible."

A statement from JLR following the court ruling said: "Irrespective of the outcome, this was a dreadful accident in which Mr Widnall suffered life-changing injuries through no fault of his own and our thoughts remain with him and his family as he continues to adjust to those injuries.

"Jaguar Land Rover is committed to the safety and well-being of all employees and strives continuously to improve working conditions.

"We accept the court's decision and continue to work closely with the Health and Safety Executive to ensure that all reasonably practicable measures are in place to protect our employees."

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