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Home / World

London mum, 29, fighting for life after being hit by pallet of bricks

Daily Mail
28 Mar, 2018 08:40 PM5 mins to read

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Michaela Boor was walking past a construction site in Mile End, London, when a pallet of bricks fell on her.

Michaela Boor was walking past a construction site in Mile End, London, when a pallet of bricks fell on her.

A woman fighting for her life after being crushed by a pallet of bricks that fell from 70ft has been identified as a young mother, MailOnline can reveal.

Shocking footage shows Michaela Boor from East London lay unconscious on the pavement surrounded by piles of rubble yesterday morning.

The 29-year-old was understood to have dropped her son off at school across the road from the building site in Mile End when bricks descended from scaffolding above.

Michaela Boor, who recently got engaged, had apparently just dropped her son off at school before walking past the building site.
Michaela Boor, who recently got engaged, had apparently just dropped her son off at school before walking past the building site.

As Boor fights for her life in hospital it has emerged the young mother had recently got engaged.

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She shared the happy news to her Facebook page after her partner of four years Andy Murgatroyd is understood to have popped the question on March 17.

Today a fundraising page was set up by her father Matthew Boor's employers.

Building firm Maytrix Construction created a CrowdFundMe page in a bid to raise £20,000 ($39k) to help Mr Boor and his family at this difficult time.

A friend of the woman told the Evening Standard: "Her family are devastated, we all are. She has ended up fighting for life in hospital on her 29th birthday.

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"We had seen pallets of bricks wobbling up there, it was just not safe. It could have been any of us. The family and all of us want answers."

#Burdett Road #bricks #eastlondon pic.twitter.com/jUbsk5Npe7

— Shafiazam (@ShafiazamUK) March 27, 2018

Mother Bernadette Hegarty, vicar of St Paul's of Bow Common Church, which is attached to the school, rushed to the scene minutes after the accident at about 9.30am.

The vicar told how paramedics brought the young woman back to life after suffering multiple injuries.

Mother Bernadette said: "The young woman looked very wounded. The paramedics brought her back.

"I sat down and prayed with her as the paramedics worked to bring her back. The Ambulance Service worked very hard and they managed to bring her back [to life].

"She is now critical in hospital. I did not see the accident but I went over to comfort her after I heard what had happened."

The young mother is believed to have been on her way to a local supermarket when the pallet of bricks fell upon her.

Prayers will be offered for the young woman at a Maundy Thursday Service and at Good Friday Service at Bow Common Church.

Mother Bernadette said: "She is a well-liked member of the community. I know her to say hello to. We are all in deep shock by what has happened, as are the workers on the building site.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the young woman and her family at this difficult time."

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Another parent from St Luke's Church of England Primary School described the young woman as a "lovely girl". She added: "We are all devastated by what happened."

pallet a brick fell from a crane on a building site hit a young lady

— Moosley76 (@Moosley76) March 27, 2018

Meanwhile local politicians have slammed safety conditions at the site, claiming barriers should have been put in place.

Mile End councillor Shah Alam, who lives just a few doors down from where the accident took place, said he raised health and safety concerns with the local Tower Hamlets Council after the incident.

He said: "They have been working here for eight months but they have never had any hazard notices or barriers to protect people. There were no staff present while the crane operated overhead.

"There are three primary schools nearby, a nursery, a church and a mosque. My neighbour doesn't feel safe walking her children to school."

Witness Alan Harris, who owns go-kart track Revolution Karting that faces the development, said he rushed over to see what had happened after hearing a "loud bang".

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"One woman was out cold underneath the bricks and another woman next to her was screaming hysterically for an ambulance and looking up into the heavens," he told the East London Advertiser.

Harris said it wasn't clear if the two women were together.

The 72-year-old said he called for ambulance and indicated "the seriousness of the situation" to the operator.

Witness Aladdin Rahman said: "My friend who's a bus driver and was driving a bus at the time it happened, said that some bricks had fallen on the woman.

"Several people were trying to get to the lady and so were the construction workers. It was a hectic scene at the time."

The London Ambulance Service took the woman to an east London hospital where she remains in a critical condition, Metropolitan Police said.

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A man was also treated for shock and forensic investigators remain at the scene.

A Health and Safety Executive spokesman said: "Inspectors have attended the site and are making ongoing enquiries in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police to investigate the circumstances of the incident.

"As the investigation is ongoing we are unable to comment further at this time."

Bow Corner is a development of 19 one, two and three bedroom apartments by Higgins Homes that is expected to be completed this year.

Steve Boreham, construction director of Higgins Homes, said: "Our primary thoughts and concerns are with the lady who has been injured and those affected today.

"We are working with the Health and Safety Executive who are investigating the incident to determine the cause and will release more information as soon as it's available. Our priority at the moment is of course to make the area safe."

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