Mother died after falling bricks at Bow construction site

A mother-of-one died after being struck by a pallet of falling bricks on Burdett Road in Bow, the Old Bailey has heard. Michaela Boor, 29, suffered fatal head injuries when the load plunged onto the pavement on March 27, 2018. She died two days later in hospital.

The incident

The court heard that Ms Boor had been shopping with a friend, Chelsea Mustafa, after dropping their children at a nearby primary school. They were walking back along Burdett Road, past a construction site operated by Higgins Homes, when the pallet of bricks fell from a tower crane. Ms Mustafa managed to avoid the bulk of the falling load, sustaining minor injuries to her back and hand. Ms Boor was hit by the bricks, fracturing her skull and sustaining catastrophic brain injuries.

Prosecutors stated that Ms Boor's injuries were unsurvivable. She received treatment at the scene and was taken to the Royal London Hospital, where attempts were made to operate, but she died on March 29, 2018. The court heard it was Ms Boor's birthday the following day and she had been buying items for the occasion.

The trial

Higgins Homes, the principal contractor and designer of the project to build a block of flats, denies corporate manslaughter and an offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act. Four men involved in overseeing the site and lifting operations are also on trial. They face charges of gross negligence manslaughter and health and safety offences, all of which they deny.

The men on trial are Thomas Anstis, 69, the senior site manager and temporary work co-ordinator employed by Higgins Homes. Stephen Coulson, 69, director of Coulson Lifting Services, which was contracted by Higgins Homes, was responsible for planning the lifting operations. Dawood Maan, 61, the crane supervisor responsible for overseeing lifting operations, was a self-employed contractor for Coulson Lifting Services. Alexander McInnes, 34, the crane operator, was self-employed, working for London Tower Cranes.

The trial at the Old Bailey is ongoing.