Woman sues for £3.2m after she broke her back falling through theatre trapdoor
A woman who broke her back after falling through a trapdoor while preparing for an Agatha Christie play is suing a theatre for more than £3million.
Cheryl Palmer, 68, was waiting for the audience to arrive to a production of And Then There Were None at the Archway Theatre in Horley, Surrey, when she fell six feet through a trap door into a tunnel used by stage staff.
The theatre director shattered one of her vertebra in the June 2019 fall, and says she has now been left "partially paraplegic" as a result.
Mrs Palmer, who had previously made costumes for productions of Aladdin and Dad's Army at the same venue, is now suing the limited company who owns it for £3.2m, saying they were liable for her devastating injury.
Her lawyers say she was checking the view from a director's box at the rear of the theatre's auditorium with her daughter when the incident occurred.
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Cheryl Palmer, 68, has been left 'partially paraplegic' after fracturing of her vertebrae, her lawyers say (Champion News)
But "unbeknown to the claimant at the material time", there was trapdoor in the box which gave access to a tunnel running below the theatre auditorium.
Describing how she fell through the unlocked trapdoor after using a footstool, documents lodged by her legal team with the High Court in London read: "On the evening of 12 June 2019, the claimant went into the theatre auditorium along with her daughter, who was due to act as prompter for the performance, before the audience arrived.
"In order to check the view from the director's box, the claimant entered the same. The door to the box was not at the material time locked in any way.
"The auditorium lights were on and the interior of the box was partially lit by light passing through the viewing window.
"The claimant sat briefly on the stool within the box and checked the view. She then stepped down from the stool, moving towards her left.
"Upon doing so she fell through the trapdoor, which had been left open and unguarded, thereby sustaining injury."
The court papers state Mrs Palmer suffered a "burst fracture" to one of her vertebrae, leaving her with "spinal cord injury and incomplete... paraplegia".
She now "significant ongoing spinal pain and weakness affecting both lower limbs", her lawyers say, and her mobility is now "markedly reduced by reason of her injuries,"
Mrs Palmer also suffers lasting psychological injuries, involving "PTSD-type symptoms".
In a brief hearing held before Judge Master John Dagnall, lawyers for Archway Theatre Company said they have admitted primary liability for Mrs Palmer's accident.
They are however contesting the amount of damages she is due, and a trial on quantum is set to go ahead at a later date that is not yet finalised.
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