'Head injury inflames sex drive' - or 'preventable fall devastates marriage?.'

'Fatuous euphoria,' a deliciously lyrical turn of phrase, was introduced this week as the condition suffered by Stephen Tame following a head injury at work. It describes his sexual disinhibition in using pornography, having affairs, visiting prostitutes and generally misbehaving in the presence of females. Much sniggering muttering "not much suffering there" and the like, was followed by indignant protest at the £3.2m payout; “more money to fund his habit” and even, “I wouldn’t mind an injury like that."

Behind the headline was a bit more than a knock on the head with stars whizzing around.

Stephen Tame now aged 29, fell from a gantry in a cycle warehouse back in 2002 because his employer hadn't taken precautions to prevent it happening. In a coma for 53 days doctors did not expect him to survive and, after two years of rehabilitation his ‘miraculous’ recovery is tempered by this devastating change in personality. Married just 8 months at the time of the accident his wife is being treated for clinical depression and the judge didn't expect the marriage to last much longer. Professional Cycling Marketing admitted liability but contested the amount of the award. As the risks of working at height are well known what would any of us consider appropriate compensation in the circumstances?

46 people died and 3351 suffered major injury after falls from height at work in 2005/6. Whilst the effects are generally not so startling as in this case, they are always far reaching. This case is a reminder to employers whose activities involve work at height to check their own house is in order. Assessing risks and planning to work safely should be a natural part of the work not an onerous bolt-on.

And what of this ‘Fatuous euphoria?’ Is it really just an excuse for bad behaviour? Euphoria, that soaring ecstatic state experienced when everything falls into place and goals are achieved, is a transient, extreme condition that cannot sustain itself and evaporates quickly. At its extremes, where a person cannot deal with the lows and obsessively pursues the highs, it can tip over into mental illness. In Stephen Tame's case, fatuous euphoria seems a sensitive euphemism to distinguish the compulsive, empty pursuit of this heady feeling from the motives of others who indulge in such activities. However, I predict it will be hijacked by kerb crawlers and the like over the coming months.