Apprentice welder who 'begged nurses to let him die' after 'human fireball' accident wins 6-figure payout

Apprentice welder who 'begged nurses to let him die' after 'human fireball' accident wins 6-figure payout WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES. Dwayne Bell, 17, was left with third-degree burns after a metal bin exploded in his face at a steel yard in Wigan, Greater Manchester, in March 2021, and has now won a six-figure compensation payout A teenage apprentice who was transformed into a "human fireball" during a workplace explosion which melted parts of his nose and ear has won a six-figure payout. Shocking images reveal Dwayne Bell, 17, with his face blackened and skin peeling away following the March 2021 blast at a steel facility in Wigan, Greater Manchester. He sustained third-degree burns and remained in an induced coma for a week. Now 22, he has received a six-figure compensation settlement. Dwayne said: "I shouldn't be here talking to you. I am lucky to be alive. "It was so hot I feared I was going to be blinded the heat was so intense. This was an accident waiting to happen. I'm trying to move on. But I'm living in a body that feels like a prison. This shouldn't have happened. I wasn't supervised and no trainee should ever be put in that position." He worked as an apprentice at Qualfab Steel Ltd and claims he burned rubbish in a metal bin. He stated: "I was just a kid, doing what I was told. "I was the youngest on site by 20 or 30 years. I was at Knowsley tech college at for one day and then spent the rest of the week at the yard. I never had any real training on the dangers of what I was doing or given any PPE safety goggles - I was just left to it." He had watched older workers do it "a hundred times". When wet wood failed to light, he applied paint thinner, unaware of sparks beneath it. He stated: "I didn't see the sparks that were already there as they were hidden by the wood. "The next thing I knew, the world just turned orange. The sound was like a jet engine. I was standing in the middle of a massive flame. As soon as I felt the whoosh of heat I shut my eyes as I didn't want to go blind. It was like a bomb exploding in my face." He continued: "My colleagues came running over and tried to remove my gloves and overalls. As they did, my tracksuit bottoms underneath began to melt. But I opened my eyes and I was still alive and I was so thankful that I wasn't blinded." He asked his co-workers to take pictures of him. He recalled: "I had feathers on me from the jacket and my face was red with skin peeling off but I didn't think it was that bad as I felt no pain. I never knew how bad it really was." He described how the end of his nose "melted" before being rushed to Whiston Hospital. He added: "I was being constantly sick due to the breathing tubes, I couldn't sleep because of the bleeping and I felt like I was on fire whenever I moved. "I was terrified my face would be scarred like that forever. I looked at the nurses and I just begged them to let me die. I couldn't see a future. I was wrapped in bandages, I couldn't move, and the pain was the worst I had ever experienced so I asked the nurses just to turn the machines off and let me go. But they wouldn't. It was horrific." Following three weeks in hospital, his mother became his carer. He explained: "My mum had to do everything I was helpless. And the pain was so intense and my skin would break easily. I couldn't sleep on my side because of my burnt ears so hardly got any sleep - it was a living nightmare." Dwayne subsequently underwent three skin grafts and faces further surgery down the line. Express Solicitors secured a six-figure settlement on his behalf. Senior Associate Neil Sagar said: "Dwayne has made a miraculous recovery from his life changing injuries. "But he still lives with the consequences of what happened everyday and his ongoing scars will affect his future career. Businesses need to make sure appropriate supervision and training is given to apprentices, especially when working with dangerous disposal methods." Dwayne has since gone on to secure an apprenticeship as a welder at a different company. He said: "I have to live with the consequences of what happened there everyday. Now I just want to try and live as normal life as possible." Qualfab Steel Ltd has been approached for comment.