Key Points
- Fatal Incident: Michaela Boor, 29, suffered fatal brain injuries and a fractured skull after a pallet containing more than two tonnes of bricks fell from a crane on 27 March 2018.
- Location: The incident took place on Burdett Road, Bow, east London, while Ms Boor was walking past a Higgins Homes construction site after dropping her child off at school.
- Corporate Manslaughter Charge: Principal contractor Higgins Homes PLC is on trial at the Old Bailey, facing charges of corporate manslaughter and a health and safety offence, both of which the firm denies.
- Individual Defendants: Four construction workers—Thomas Anstis, Stephen Coulson, Dawood Maan, and Alexander McInnes—are charged with gross negligence manslaughter and health and safety breaches. All four deny the charges.
- Prosecution Case: Prosecutor Alexandra Healy KC told the jury that the pallet fell from a tower crane as it transported materials towards a loading bay immediately adjacent to the public pavement.
Bow (East London Times) October 5, 2026 – A mother on the school run sustained catastrophic, fatal brain injuries when a large pile of bricks dropped from a tower crane and crushed her as she walked past a building site in east London, a court has heard.
As reported by Josh Bolton of the East London Advertiser, Michaela Boor, 29, was walking along Burdett Road in Bow on the morning of 27 March 2018 alongside her friend, Chelsea Mustafa, when the incident occurred. Ms Boor sustained a severe skull fracture and died in hospital two days later. Principal contractor Higgins Homes PLC is currently standing trial at the Central Criminal Court (the Old Bailey), charged with corporate manslaughter and a breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Four construction workers contracted to or employed on the project—Thomas Anstis, Stephen Coulson, Dawood Maan, and Alexander McInnes—are jointly on trial, accused of gross negligence manslaughter and health and safety violations. Higgins Homes and all four individual co-defendants deny all charges against them.
What Happened on the Morning of the Incident?
Opening the prosecution case on Monday at the Old Bailey, prosecutor Alexandra Healy KC detailed the circumstances leading up to the fatal incident. According to details provided by Ciaran McGrath of the Daily Express, Ms Boor had just dropped her child off at school and was walking towards local shops along the pavement on the corner of Burdett Road.
As outlined in court reports by MyLondon, prosecutor Alexandra Healy KC explained to the jury:
“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.”
The prosecution noted that the pallet, loaded with upwards of two tonnes of masonry materials, detached or spilled mid-air from the crane hook during a routine lifting operation, showering the public thoroughfare below. Emergency services rushed to the scene in Bow to provide critical medical assistance before Ms Boor was transferred to hospital, where she subsequently succumbed to her injuries two days later.
Who Are the Defendants in the Old Bailey Trial?
The prosecution outlined the specific roles and legal duties assigned to each of the four individual defendants who were tasked with managing and executing the lifting operations at the St Paul’s Way development site.
As reported by MyLondon, prosecutor Alexandra Healy KC detailed the roles of the defendants to the court:
- Higgins Homes PLC: The principal contractor and designer of the housing development tasked with constructing a residential block of flats. The company faces corporate manslaughter charges alongside health and safety offences.
- Thomas Anstis (69, of Banstead, Surrey): Employed directly by Higgins Homes PLC as the senior site manager and temporary work co-ordinator. He was responsible for overseeing overall site activities and co-ordinating sub-contractors. Alexandra Healy KC noted that while Mr Anstis was not required to be permanently on site, he had a duty to periodically review site conditions to identify any emerging factors requiring a modification to the lift plan. He was absent from the site on the day of the incident.
- Stephen Coulson (69, of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire): Director of Coulson Lifting Services, a firm sub-contracted by Higgins Homes. Mr Coulson acted as the designated “appointed person” responsible for planning lifting operations across the site. The prosecution stated he was tasked with visiting the site periodically to evaluate environmental and physical changes affecting the lift plan, but was also not on site on the day of the collapse.
- Dawood Maan (61, of Ashford, Kent): A self-employed crane supervisor working on behalf of Coulson Lifting Services, directly responsible for supervising and directing lifting operations on the ground.
- Alexander McInnes (34, of Islington, North London): A self-employed crane operator hired via contractor London Tower Cranes, who was operating the tower crane at the time the pallet fell.
All four individuals deny gross negligence manslaughter and corresponding charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
What Is the Background of This Particular Development?
The development project situated at the intersection of Burdett Road and St Paul’s Way in Bow, Mile End, was designed as a multi-storey residential complex managed by Higgins Homes PLC. The project involved heavy lifting of construction supplies over an extended period in a densely populated urban area immediately adjoining active public footpaths and busy road corridors.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident in March 2018, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Metropolitan Police opened a joint investigation into site management practices, crane integrity, tethering mechanisms, and overhead load restrictions. The investigation examined whether adequate secondary protection measures, such as overhead gantries, catch nets, or temporary pedestrian diversions, had been instituted to protect passers-by from overhead crane movements. Formal criminal charges were formally entered in late 2025 following years of technical evaluations and legal proceedings.
Prediction: How Will This Legal Outcome Affect the Construction Sector and Local Communities?
The legal precedent set by this trial at the Old Bailey is likely to have significant implications for commercial developers, sub-contracting firms, tower crane operators, and local urban residents across the United Kingdom.
If Higgins Homes PLC or any of the individual defendants are convicted of corporate manslaughter or gross negligence manslaughter, the outcome will reinforce stricter compliance with the HSE guidelines governing overhead lifts near public thoroughfares. Construction firms operating in high-density areas may face mandatory requirements to install fully enclosed protective pedestrian gantries rather than standard perimeter hoardings when heavy materials are transported adjacent to pavements. Furthermore, principal contractors may be forced to implement stricter duty-of-care protocols requiring appointed lifting coordinators to be physically present on site during high-risk overhead movements.
For local communities residing near major urban construction sites, a conviction could lead to enhanced public safety standards, greater transparency regarding site risk assessments, and stricter local council regulations regarding temporary footpath closures during active crane operations. Conversely, an acquittal could prompt calls from legal analysts and safety advocates for tighter statutory legislation surrounding sub-contractor accountability and crane lifting safety protocols.
