A lorry driver left brain-damaged after being crushed at work by a quarter-tonne industrial saw has won his High Court battle to prove his employer was partially responsible.

Nick Holmes, 49, of Thornton, Bradford, was unloading the 290kg panel saw from a lorry, owned by Keighley haulage company Joda Freight, in Glasgow, on August 16, 2007, when it fell and crushed him, leaving him with brain injuries and partially blind.

A case at Glasgow Sheriff Court brought by the Health and Safety Executive in August this year heard the way in which the saw had been loaded by JMJ, in Hull, created a trap which Mr Holmes could not have been aware of.

Joda Freight pleaded guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act and was fined £5,000 but the firm denied liability for Mr Holmes’s civil claim, arguing The Saw Centre, in Glasgow, and JMJ Woodworking, in Hull, were to blame.

In his judgement on Friday, at the High Court, in Leeds, Judge John Cockroft ruled the legal responsibility for the accident lay with all of the parties involved, meaning Mr Holmes can now move forward with securing the funds needed to pay for his lost income, future care and rehabilitation.

Following the ruling Mr Holmes’s partner, Ann Toorish, said: “Since the accident Nick has suffered from seriously impaired vision, is unable to drive and has problems with mobility and his memory, and as a result of this his ability to work gainfully may have been taken away from him.

“We are relieved the court has ruled in Nick’s favour and confirmed all three other parties were totally responsible for causing his terrible injuries and are pleased we will now be able to move forward with the case to ensure proper compensation to assist with his rehabilitation and support.”