A mother was crushed to death on the school run when a pile of bricks dropped on her head as she walked past a construction site, a court has heard.
Building firm Higgens Homes and four construction workers are on trial at the Old Bailey over the accident in which 29-year-old Michaela Boor suffered a catastrophic head injury and died.
The mum had been working along Burdett Road in Bow, east London, with a friend, Chelsea Mustafa, on the morning of March 27 2018 after doing the school run when the horrific incident occurred.
School run tragedy
Prosecutor Alexandra Healy KC said the two women were walking past the building site as they headed to the shops. She said: "They had dropped their children at a primary school on St Paul's Way. They had both walked along Burdett Road to go to Lidl and Tesco – it was Michaela's birthday the following day and she wanted to buy some things.
"They were walking back from the shops, along Burdett Road, towards the junction with St Paul's Way. Their route took them past a construction site that was being developed by Higgins Homes plc."
A pallet of bricks that was being transported by a tower crane towards a loading bay immediately adjacent to the pavement along Burdett Way fell on to them.
Fatal injuries
Chelsea Mustafa ran into the road, away from the construction site. Although some bricks hit her on the back and her hand, she was able to avoid the bulk of the falling load.
"Michaela Boor did not make it off the pavement. She was hit by the falling bricks which fractured her skull and she sustained catastrophic brain injuries."
Medics rushed to the scene and she was taken to the Royal London Hospital, but despite surgery her injuries were "unsurvivable" and she died two days later on March 29, jurors were told.
Defendants in court
Higgins Homes was the principal contractor and designer of the project to build a block of flats. The firm is charged with corporate manslaughter and a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act which it denies.
Four men have appeared in court charged with gross negligence manslaughter and a Health and Safety at Work Act offence, which they deny.
Thomas Anstis, 69, of Banstead, Surrey, was the senior site manager and temporary work co-ordinator employed by Higgins Homes. He was in charge of the building site and overseeing the work of subcontractors appointed by Higgins Homes and co-ordinating their activities.
Stephen Coulson, 69, of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, was director of Coulson Lifting Services which was contracted by Higgins Homes. Coulson was the appointed person to plan the lifting operations on the site and was in overall control of them.
He was not at the site on the day of the incident. The court heard that it was not necessary for him to be permanently on site, but he must periodically visit the site to see whether any factors had changed which might necessitate a change to the lift plan.
Dawood Maan, 61, of Ashford, Kent, was the crane supervisor responsible for overseeing and supervising lifting operations on the site. He was a self-employed contractor working for Coulson Lifting Services.
Alexander McInnes, 34, of Islington, north London, was the crane operator who was self-employed, working for contractor London Tower Cranes.
The Old Bailey trial continues.
