The 58-year-old man, who wishes to remain anonymous, said he is still in serious pain and suffers from the psychological effects of the accident. His wife also is disabled and "this has caused huge problems", he said. He will not be able to work again.
The ex-worker said he hopes the publicity around his case will prevent the occurrence of similar workplace accidents.
Karen Reay, regional secretary of the UK's largest trade union Unite which helped secure the settlement, said: "While the headline figure appears large, it has to take into account the scale of the disability, the loss of possible future earnings, the need for special housing accommodation, the requirement for ongoing care and the provision of prosthetics for the rest of his life."
The £1.6m settlement for the injury is one of the biggest obtained by the union for a member in the Yorkshire, North East and Humberside area.
