The tragic case of Michaela Boor is at the centre of a corporate manslaughter trial under way at the Old Bailey.

Michaela was walking along Burdett Road in Bow, East London, with a friend on the morning of 27 March 2018 and was passing a building site when a pallet of bricks being hoisted by a tower crane towards a loading bay next to the pavement fell onto her. She suffered a fractured skull and catastrophic brain injuries. She was treated at the scene and taken to the Royal London Hospital, but her injuries were unsurvivable, and she sadly died two days later, on 29 March 2018.

The corporate manslaughter case is pursued against Higgins Homes, who were the principal contractor and designer on the project to build a block of flats, as well as four construction workers contracted by the company. The case against them is that the pallet of bricks caught on scaffolding as it was being hoisted, causing the load to fall. The prosecution alleges that the crane operator had a restricted view of the load and that the lift became a “blind lift” when the pallet moved completely out of sight. It further alleges there was no risk assessment for lifting pallets of bricks so close to members of the public, and that the developer failed to give proper consideration to protecting people outside the site. The prosecution also claimed there was evidence that the senior site manager had “cut corners” to “save cost”.

The company and all four men deny the charges.

Whilst the corporate manslaughter trial is a criminal matter and the case remains ongoing, what is at the heart of these tragic events is the loss of life of an innocent mum on the school run.

Members of the public and workers alike are entitled to expect that construction sites are managed so that those nearby are not put at risk. Where a death or serious injury results from an incident on or near a site, affected individuals and bereaved families may have grounds to bring a claim for personal injury.

If you or a member of your family has been injured, or has lost a loved one, in an accident involving a construction site or workplace, our personal injury team can discuss how we may be able to help. Please get in touch for a confidential, no-obligation conversation.