Overview
- On May 13, 2024 a distillery vessel over‑pressurised and exploded while Leigh Taylor was testing new equipment, throwing him across the room and engulfing him in flames.
- He was air‑lifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, placed in a medically induced coma for five weeks, and suffered a cardiac arrest in hospital when his heart stopped for eight minutes before doctors revived him.
- Surgeons performed multiple skin grafts to treat severe burns to his hands and legs, and inhalation injuries left scarred airways that have caused repeated chest infections and ongoing respiratory vulnerability.
- Since July 2025 he has been riding an electric trike with his dog in the 'Paws and Pedal' UK coastline challenge to raise money for Great North Air Ambulance and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, having completed roughly 2,000 miles and raised more than £11,000 so far.
- Taylor remains off work and manages persistent medical and mental‑health challenges, and the recent coverage cites his first‑hand account and treating teams without reporting any formal regulatory findings into the cause of the over‑pressurisation.