Essex woman awarded £250k from county council after suffering serious injuries from ceiling collapse
She won the money from the council after a lengthy legal battle.
A woman has received £250,000 from Essex County Council after suffering serious injuries when part of a ceiling collapsed on her and then later narrowly missed being hurt when a second section gave way.
But, Susan Williams only won the money from the council after a lengthy legal battle, which included an attempt by the council to discredit her by using covert filming of her outside of work.
Ms Williams had been sitting in a chair in a council building in 2016 when a large section of the ceiling suddenly gave way, falling directly onto her head. She sustained multiple injuries, including lacerations that needed stitches, but also long-term psychological trauma.
She was later diagnosed with post-traumatic fibromyalgia by a consultant rheumatologist, which was confirmed by pain specialists. Despite her best efforts to return to work—initially on reduced hours—Ms Williams’ symptoms persisted and significantly affected her mobility and quality of life.
But then, five years later, in 2021, while she was attempting to recover from the incident, another section of the ceiling collapsed, narrowly missing her while she was working in the same building.
This second incident retriggered Ms Williams’ symptoms and led to severe psychological distress, ultimately resulting in her being medically retired at the age of 58.
After devoting her career to serving the council, Ms Williams found herself isolated, unable to walk long distances, and left with a considerable disability, her lawyers said.
Ison Harrison solicitors, who represented Ms Williams, added that despite the clear responsibility for the unsafe building conditions, Essex County Council vigorously defended the case for over eight years.
While the council eventually admitted liability for the initial incident, they denied the extent of the injuries and tried to attribute her symptoms to pre-existing health conditions—even after their own experts acknowledged she had a pain condition, the law firm has added.
They added that in a further attempt to discredit Susan’s claim, the council introduced covert surveillance footage after eight years, showing her going to the vet to take her sick pet for treatment and attending a Pilates class.
Ison Harrison solicitors said the footage was not only irrelevant but also non-compliant with surveillance rules, and clearly designed to undermine her credibility rather than support a fair resolution.
Partner at Ison Harrison Diane Askwith said: “I am very pleased to have obtained a favourable outcome for our client.
“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. I hope this result enables her to begin rebuilding her life. I also hope the council and Government commit the necessary funding to repair public buildings so that such preventable, life-changing injuries never happen again.”
Essex County Council Lib Dem group leader Councillor Mike Mackrory said: “It seems extraordinary that Essex County Council vigorously contested the claim over a long period despite the medical evidence and that a further incidence of a collapsed ceiling occurred in another part of the building affecting the same member of staff.
“It would seem grossly negligent for the rest of the building to not to have been thoroughly checked after the first collapse. I hope lessons have been learned so that staff are not put in further danger.”
A spokesperson for 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.
“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.”