Mother-of-One Killed by Falling Bricks on School Run; Trial Underway
A construction company and four workers face charges in connection with the death of Michaela Boor, who was struck by a pallet of bricks from a tower crane in East London.
A mother of one was fatally injured when a pallet of bricks fell from a crane and struck her while she was on the school run, a court has heard. Michaela Boor, 28, died from catastrophic brain injuries following the incident on March 27, 2018, in east London.
Boor had been walking along Burdett Road after dropping her son at primary school when a pallet holding more than two tonnes of bricks fell from a tower crane. She was walking with a friend, Chelsea Mustafa, who managed to avoid the bulk of the falling load, though she sustained minor injuries.
Boor sustained severe head injuries and was taken to the Royal London Hospital. Despite undergoing surgery, her injuries were unsurvivable, and she died on March 29, 2018.
Higgins Homes, the principal contractor and designer of the building project where the incident occurred, is charged with corporate manslaughter and a violation of the Health and Safety at Work Act. Four construction workers are also on trial at the Old Bailey in London.
Alexander McInnes, 34, Dawood Maan, 61, Stephen Coulson, 69, and Thomas Anstis, 69, each face a count of gross negligence manslaughter and a health and safety offense. All four men have denied the charges.
Thomas Anstis served as the senior site manager and temporary work coordinator for Higgins Homes, overseeing the site and subcontractors. Stephen Coulson was the director of Coulson Lifting Services, contracted for planning and overall control of lifting operations, though he was not on site the day of the incident. Dawood Maan was the crane supervisor, a self-employed contractor for Coulson Lifting Services. Alexander McInnes was the crane operator, self-employed by London Tower Cranes.
The prosecution stated that Boor and Mustafa had been on their way to local shops to buy items for Boor's upcoming birthday. The incident occurred as they walked back past the construction site.
Investigations by the Health and Safety Executive and the Metropolitan Police preceded the Crown Prosecution Service's decision to authorize criminal charges in May 2025, more than six years after the fatal incident. The trial continues.