Dad was in coma after horrific accident

Story: Alex Grove

He suffered first and second degree burns after an accident at The Commercial in Chapeltown

A dad-of-three spent two weeks in a coma after 40 per cent of his body was set alight in a horrific accident at a gin distillery in Chapeltown.

Paul Harrison, 33, suffered first and second degree burns to his hands, arms, face and torso after alcohol sprayed out of a still at Sheffield Distillery, which is at the back of The Commercial pub in Chapeltown, Sheffield.

Mr Harrison, who lives in Barnsley with his wife Hannah, 35, and their children, was rushed to Northern General Hospital before he was transferred to a specialist burns unit at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield after the accident on May 26.

After suffering extensive burns to almost half of his body, Mr Harrison had to be put in an induced coma and his wife was only able to see him once coronavirus restrictions had been lifted.

Recalling the moment she found out about the accident, which was initially thought to be a gas explosion, Mrs Harrison told South Yorkshire Live: "When I was told what happened I was initially only told that he had burnt his hands and I wasn't aware of the full extent of his injuries.

"My first thought was to get down to the distillery and get there before the ambulance but then I realised it was worse than I'd thought."

At this point, Mr Harrison was still conscious but after being taken to hospital it was decided that he would be put in a medically induced coma to protect his airway and help his pain management.

He spent the next fortnight in a state of unconsciousness and due to the strict coronavirus lockdown rules, Mrs Harrison was forced to stay away from her husband and await developments from doctors at Pinderfields.

Mr Harrison was eventually brought out of the coma after a fortnight and could soon be released from hospital to continue his recovery at home.

As well as recovering from the burns, he has had to get used to walking again after lying still in a coma for two weeks but Mrs Harrison says his burns are healing well.

"He suffered quite extensive burns but a lot of them have now gone and it's just down to his arms and hands," she said.

"He had skin grafts within days of being received at Pinderfields and he knows exactly what has happened - there's no psychological blackouts.

"He wants to be at home and he is pushing himself to get there but even when he's home he will have to go into hospital as an outpatient. There's many steps and there's still a long road to recovery."

A report is being carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the malfunction and until that is concluded, Mr Harrison will not know how the accident happened.