25.09.2014

Personal Injury Specialist Instructed To Investigate Safety Concerns At Edinburgh Hotel

A woman who was struck on the head by a metal panel that fell from a hotel room ceiling causing her severe neck and back pain, has instructed specialist personal injury lawyers to investigate the incident.

Nicole Benjamin, from Brentwood in Essex stayed at the Motel One hotel on Princes Street, Edinburgh, for two nights in June 2014. But on the second day of her stay she was struck on the head by a metal panel that fell from the ceiling as she left the bathroom in her room. 

Three months on she is still suffering severe pain in her head, neck and back, and continues to receive treatment from a physiotherapist for her on-going back pain. She says she was told by maintenance workers at the hotel that some of the ceiling panels had been cut too short when installed.

The 39-year-old has now instructed expert personal injury lawyers to investigate her accident and find out if more could have been done to prevent the ceiling panel from falling onto her head.

Elaine Russell, a Partner and specialist personal injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell Scotland, said: 

Nicole was in Edinburgh for a short break at the three-star hotel on Princes Street with her boyfriend.

Commenting on her case, Nicole said: “It was a massive shock when the panel fell and simply not something you think will happen to you when staying at a hotel. I felt immediate pain in my back and neck and although I’ve been referred to a physiotherapist it still affects me today. 

“I already suffered with benign intracranial hypertension and the accident has added to the pain I suffer on a daily basis. I have struggled to get around since the incident and have been unable to take painkillers as they will counteract the medication I am on for my spinal condition.”