Drama teacher sues school after falling off ladder

A drama teacher is suing after falling off a ladder he claims he wasn’t educated to make use of, because the school argues it was a matter of “frequent sense”.

Harry Wilkinson, 34, broke his neck when he fell 12ft from the highest rung of the ladder at Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School, north London, in May 2016.

Mr Wilkinson, who was making ready the drama studio for an examination, additionally suffered fractures to his face and arm, and was left with mind injury.

He is now suing the excellent school for £50,000, claiming they need to have supplied him with correct coaching earlier than letting him use ladders.

However, the school is arguing that climbing a ladder safely is a matter of “frequent sense” and no coaching would have prevented the accident.

Kam Jaspal, the barrister representing the school, mentioned: “It is denied that any obligatory coaching which the claimant ought to have acquired would have prevented the claimant’s accident.

“Any coaching which the claimant didn’t obtain however ought to have acquired would solely have handled issues of which the claimant was already conscious, by purpose of frequent sense and expertise.

“In these circumstances, additional coaching in respect of use of the ladder would have made no distinction to the end result and wouldn’t have prevented the claimant from falling within the method which he did.”  

Mr Wilkinson was adjusting the theatre lights when he fell, and a ladder was the one manner of accessing them, in keeping with paperwork filed at Central London County Court.

“The job required the claimant to face upon the ladder for a major time frame,” the declare papers say.

“During the course of finishing up the duty, the claimant must utilise each fingers to connect and modify the sunshine rigging gear. Whilst enterprise this job, he fell a major distance from the ladder and hit the ground.”

Recommended For You