Window cleaner loses forearm in 33,000-volt shock

Jason Knight was airlifted to hospital where he was operated on 17 times to save his life

A window cleaner has lost his left forearm and was told he might not walk again after surviving a 33,000-volt electric shock.

Jason Knight, 34, from Westbury in Wiltshire, said he thought he was going to die when the deadly current jumped from an overhead cable to his cleaning pole.

He was in a customer's back garden at the time and the force of the shock on 6 April sent him flying seven feet (about two metres) across the lawn, leaving scorched boot prints in the grass. "It was only when I looked down at my feet, my shoes were no longer on, that I realised I had such serious injuries," he said.

The Health and Safety Executive is investigating and in a preliminary report said the power cables met the required safety standards and were recorded as having been inspected in 2023.

The intense shock narrowly missed his heart, and he was flown to Southmead Hospital where doctors performed 17 operations to save his life.

Mr Knight, who lives with his wife Sara, 35, and their 18-month-old identical twin girls and seven-year-old daughter, also had to have five of his toes amputated due to the severe burns.

He is still in hospital and has described his thoughts in the immediate aftermath.

He said: "At that point all I could think was that I was going to die.

“I couldn’t tap on the window, there was nothing I could do.”

Mr Knight had spent two years building up his own window cleaning business before the accident

His father John Knight, 58, said: “He should be dead.”

Neither Jason Knight, who has owned his own window-cleaning business for two years, nor the owner of the property were aware the power cables running over the garden were live with 33,000 volts of electricity and there were no warning signs around the property.

Guidance published on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website states that “voltages lower than 230 volts can kill and injure people” and that “going close to a live overhead line can result in a flashover”.

Flashovers happen when electricity jumps a short distance between an overhead line and a nearby object, either because it is not insulated or because the insulation has been compromised by water or other substances.

Jason Knight was close to finishing his job when he was "catapulted" through the air.

"I was very dazed and dizzy," he said. "I just had to wait for someone to come and find me.”

About 10 minutes later he was found by the customer, who called 999.

The intensity of the blast left scorched imprints of Mr Knight's boot in the grass

Mr Knight's father raced to the scene but was forced to watch through a hole in the fence as paramedics fought to save his son's life.

John Knight said: “Obviously I went into shock and the pilot came over and put his arms round me and said, ‘don’t worry, I’ll have him there in 10 minutes’."

The day after, John Knight contacted Scottish and Southern Electricity (SSEN), and the HSE is investigating.

An investigation into the safety of the powerlines is currently under way

SSEN Distribution said via a spokesperson the company took responsibility for public safety "very seriously" and confirmed the last safety inspection took place in 2023.

They said due to the ongoing HSE investigation they were unable to comment further but continued "to fully support the HSE in its investigation".

The spokesperson added : “We were saddened to hear about the incident that occurred in Westbury in April, and our thoughts are with Mr Knight and his family at this very difficult time."