Paralysed stage manager awarded record £3.7m settlement

A stage manager who was left paralysed after falling through an unmarked 'Juliet' door at Soho Theatre has been awarded £3.7 million in compensation.

Rachael Presdee was working on the Headlong show Boys in June 2012 when the incident occurred. She fell ten feet onto the stage after walking through the door, so-called because of its traditional use in the balcony scene of Romeo and Juliet.

The money, agreed in an out of court settlement, is the biggest amount that has been awarded in the history of performing arts union Equity, who handled the case on Presdee's behalf. It is also believed to be one of the largest such settlements anywhere in the UK entertainment industry.

Presdee who now lives in Australia, said: "I could not have imagined when I walked into work on 9 June 2012 that I would never walk out of there, or walk anywhere else ever again. The impact of my injury can be seen by the level of compensation required to cover the cost of carers for me, future needs including specially adapted home and equipment, and loss of a lifetime’s earnings.

"I am immensely grateful for the support I received from Equity throughout this whole process, and take this opportunity to urge all theatre operators to please ensure that safety risks, no matter how seemingly big or small, are properly managed so that no other theatre worker has their life so catastrophically altered by something which could have been so easily prevented by simple, cheap and obvious steps."

The money will be paid jointly by insurers for the Soho Theatre and Headlong.