Woman awarded £250,000 after ceiling collapse

A woman has been awarded £250,000 from a county council after she suffered serious injuries when the ceiling of a family centre collapsed on her.

Susan Williams, from Chelmsford, was teaching in Essex in 2016, when the ceiling gave way and landed on her head. In 2021 another ceiling fell down, close to her, causing her distress.

Ison Harrison, her solicitors, said the incidents led to "a long period of medical treatment and life-altering consequences".

Essex County Council said: "We are very sorry for what happened to Ms Williams and accepted responsibility at a very early stage in these proceedings."

The solicitors said Ms Williams had been sitting in a chair in Writtewick Family Centre, Chelmsford, in 2016, when a large section of the ceiling suddenly gave way, falling directly on to her head.

The family centre practitioner had multiple injuries, including lacerations that needed stitches, concussion, neck and shoulder pain, cuts and bruises and long-term psychological trauma, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

She was later diagnosed with post-traumatic fibromyalgia by a consultant rheumatologist, which was confirmed by pain specialists.

She returned to work, initially on reduced hours, but the "symptoms persisted and significantly affected her mobility and quality of life", Ison Harrison added.

Then in 2021, a section of the ceiling collapsed and "narrowly missed her" at the New Family Centre on the county hall site in Chelmsford.

This retriggered Ms Williams' symptoms and "led to severe psychological distress, ultimately resulting in her being medically retired at the age of 58".

The solicitors said the council "vigorously defended the case for over eight years".

It added that the council eventually itted liability for the initial incident, but denied the extent of the injuries.

Ms Williams' solicitor Diane Askwith said: "It is such a shame it took so long.

"The council's behaviour has been, at the very least, disappointing — arguing at every stage, even in the face of clear medical evidence.

"Ms Williams was injured through no fault of her own and lost a career she loved."

The council said: "When agreeing compensation, we must always make sure the compensation claimed is justified.

"Unfortunately, there was a dispute about how much compensation was due.

"We are pleased that ultimately we were able to agree an amount of compensation which we felt was justified."

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