Bradley Lowery's dad suffers life-changing injuries in horror work accident

The father of a brave football mascot whose beaming smile touched thousands around the world suffered serious burns in an industrial accident which has left him unable to work. Now a Bolton company has been fined after a prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive over the incident.

Carl Lowery was injured three years after his son, Bradley, died from a rare form of cancer. Bradley struck up a close friendship with former Sunderland star Jermain Defoe after he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma and was regularly pictured with the striker at games as a club mascot. In the months before his death, Bradley led England out at Wembley alongside his hero, striker Jermaine.

The much-loved schoolboy was even awarded Match of the Day’s Goal of the Month award after he sparked huge cheers from Sunderland fans at the Stadium of Light by scoring a penalty against Chelsea keeper Asmir Begovic. Bradley died in 2017, aged six.

Along with his wife Gemma, Carl established the Bradley Lowery Foundation, which helps families that are fundraising to obtain medical equipment and treatment.

But on May 12, 2020, Carl had been working on new apartment blocks at The Crescent, Hulme Street, Salford when an electrical flash blew him backwards and burnt his arms and face. The then 37-year-old underwent multiple surgeries following the incident and required a skin graft from his thigh.

Carl, now 41, had been working alongside a colleague at SRE Cabling and Jointing Limited, with the company sub-contracted by Aberla M&E Limited to carry out cabling and jointing works on the new apartments.

The pair were working on the building’s main switchboard, with nearby bus bars left live with electricity and covered by a guard panel. However, a gap in the