Man whose arms and face melted after he touched 11,000-volt live cable while ‘trying to steal scrap metal’ thanks the paramedics who helped save his life

A man whose arms and face melted after he touched electrical cables carrying 11,000 volts has thanked the paramedics who helped save his life. 

Darren Harris was shocked while trying to steal scrap metal from an abandoned building in Wolverhampton on November 24, 2020. 

He said he was ‘struggling for funds’ during lockdown and assumed that the power inside the building was switched off.  

Mr Harris suffered ‘horrific burns’ to his arms, face, chest and abdomen with the 11,000 volt switchboard completely melting his forearms to the bone.

He also lost his left thumb, both ears and the tip of his nose and was completely knocked out by the force of the electricity.

Mr Harris suffered ‘horrific burns’ to his arms, face, chest and abdomen with the 11,000 volt switchboard completely melting his forearms to the bone

Mr Harris pictured before his accident in November 2020 

Mr Harris spent months at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham receiving specialist treatment.

He spent 27 days in a coma and has so far had a total of 23 operations and is currently waiting for a date for hand surgery. 

Medics said it was a miracle for anyone to survive such a huge surge of electricity through the body.  

Now, four years on, Mr Harris has been reunited with paramedics Gary Williams and Matt Walker and trauma doctor Richard Fawcett who responded to the 999 call that day. 

Mr Harris said, according to the BBC: ‘During lockdown I was struggling for funds and I went to get illegal scrap metal from buildings that were getting demolished.

‘Unfortunately, I put my left arm into an 11KV switchboard, which completely melted my forearms down to the bone.

‘I ran in front of the ambulance on its way to me to flag it down and both faces of the paramedics were as white as a ghost.’

He lost his left thumb, both ears and the tip of his nose and was completely knocked out by the force of the electricity

Darren Harris met up with paramedics Gary Williams and Matt Walker, along with trauma doctor Richard Fawcett four years after they saved his life

Mr Harris spent months at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham receiving specialist treatment

He added that he ‘should never have been on the site’ but ‘paid a price for that’. 

Trauma doctor Dr Fawcett added: ‘To see Darren a few years later doing so fantastically well is unbelievable.’

Mr Harris works as a self-employed scaffolder and has managed to return to work, despite previous concerns as to whether he would ever be fit enough. 

He has also raised money for the Katy Piper Foundation that helps people living with burn injuries.