Three-Year-Old Girl Killed In Incident In 2008

A builder from Kinmel Bay in Wales has been sentenced to two years in prison after being convicted of gross negligence manslaughter in relation to an incident in which a three-year-old girl was killed by a collapsing wall.

George Collier, 49, was involved in construction work outside a house in Prestatyn when Meg Burgess was struck by the wall while walking with her mother in front of the wall on a public footpath in July 2008.

An investigation by North Wales Police and the Health and Safety Executive revealed the wall, which was acting as a retaining wall but had not been designed for this purpose, had recently been built and had been backfilled by Collier shortly before it collapsed.

Mr Collier’s company Parcol Developments had previously pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations at an earlier hearing.

Irwin Mitchell represents victims and families of those killed in accidents in public places, helping them to seek answers and justice over the ordeals they have endured.

David Urpeth, a legal expert who specialises in such public liability cases, said: “This was clearly an awful tragedy which the HSE has subsequently revealed could have been prevented.

“It is always imperative that work related to retaining walls is undertaken by specialists, to ensure that the best possible standards of safety for both construction workers and the general public are met.

“A case like this only serves to demonstrate the huge consequences that failing to do this could have. We hope that the construction industry as a whole takes note of this and ensures, where necessary, lessons are learned.”