Engineer is set to receive damages.

A marine engineer seriously injured in an accident at a Middlesbrough jetty could receive massive compensation after a ruling by top judges.

George Ziemniak, 49, then an employee of Middlesbrough company ETPM Deep Sea Ltd, was taking part in a life-saving drill at the Teesport Offshore Base in November 1997 when the incident happened.

A team was testing the launching and recovery of lifeboats on board a merchant vessel moored alongside the base's jetty.

But a boat plunged into the sea after a chain link failed and the dad-of-two was thrown into the water along with others.

Mr Zemniak, of Skipton, North Yorkshire, suffered serious head and facial injuries which have blighted his life.

His solicitor Neil Sugarman said he had volunteered to take part in the testing procedure and as a result of the accident "had been through hell for several years".

Mr Zemniak sued the company at the time, but had his damages claim dismissed by a Manchester County Court judge in May last year.

But the decision has been reversed by judges sitting at London's Appeal Court.

The marine engineer is now set to receive compensation for his injuries.

Lord Justice Kay said ETPM had rightly been cleared of negligence over the accident, probably caused by stress corrosion which the company could not have been expected to foresee.

But he ruled the company was still liable to compensate Mr Ziemniak under the terms of a regulation which puts an "absolute" duty on employers relating to life-saving equipment.

If final settlement terms are not agreed in the meantime, the amount of Mr Ziemniak's damages will have to be assessed at another court hearing.

Mr Sugarman, of GLP & Co, said: "We are absolutely delighted that justice has now finally been done."