A woman was seriously injured when the pavement beneath her feet suddenly erupted and then she was hit with falling rubble.
Katie Lallo, 34, was walking on her lunch break in Cropston, Leicestershire, when the ground exploded underneath her.
It emerged that the blast was caused by a 5,200ft pipe which suddenly burst while being pressure tested during works commissioned by Severn Trent Water.
Mrs Lallo, of Rothley in Leicestershire suffered a head injury and was left with concussion, symptoms of PTSD, a persistent headache and disturbed sleep.
She was also left with a broken ankle, which she says has prevented her from taking part in her cycling hobby or long walks in the Peak District.
Mrs Lallo is now suing Pipe Testing Services Limited, the company which was sub-contracted to carry out the work.
She is claiming over £200,000 in damages for her injuries in the August 2022 accident, which she says have had a massive impact on her previously ‘incredibly active’ life and her career.
The company has admitted that it was ‘negligent, and that it thereby contributed to the material explosion which caused the claimant some injury’.
But it is also bringing its own claim against Severn Trent Water Limited and CPC Civils Group Limited, which respectively commissioned and subcontracted the works, seeking either an indemnity protecting them from having to make a payout or a contribution to damages and lawyers’ bills.
According to documents lodged at the High Court by Mrs Lallo’s lawyers, the work involved recommissioning 1,600 metres of redundant water pipe between Cropston Water Treatment Works and Anstey Lane Pumping Station.
Severn Trent had engaged CPC Civils to carry out the work, which then sub-contracted pressure testing of the pipe to Pipe Testing Services.
Toby Coupe, the barrister for Mrs Lallo, said: ‘The testing process followed by the defendant required the pipe to be filled with water in advance of the measured pressure testing.
‘Eventually the water rose past the highest air vent/valve on the pipe, which meant the air could no longer escape and the pressure inside the pipe began to build up.
‘The build up of pressure caused the pipe to rupture and the trapped air to escape, resulting in an explosion which displaced the surrounding road surface and injured the passing claimant.
‘As a result of her involvement in the accident, the claimant sustained serious injuries. (She) was thrown to the ground and struck by fragments of tarmac.’
Mrs Lallo was left with pain in her head, neck, shoulder, thigh, hands and ankle, with some problems persisting long after the accident, it is claimed.
‘Prior to the accident, the claimant was incredibly active,’ her barrister said.
‘She would go out hiking in the Peak District and perform aerobics, yoga or weight training approximately five times a week. She would also regularly undertake DIY and gardening, and the claimant and her husband were renovating their house.
‘Since the accident, the claimant has been restricted to walking shorter distances, no longer cycles outdoors and has returned to the gym and yoga/pilates, but is restricted by her right ankle discomfort and stiffness. She struggles with crouching when performing household tasks.
‘She underwent a phased return to work as an advertising agency account manager after seven months off work and only recently began working full-time again.
‘The claimant believes that following the accident and as a result of her accident-related injuries, she is no longer functioning as she used to at work and/or on her original career pathway.’
Blaming Pipe Testing Services, Mr Coupe says it was negligent in ‘failing, whether adequately or at all, to plan, manage and monitor construction work’ in such a way as to minimise health and safety risks.
In its defence, lawyers for the company say: ‘It is admitted and averred that the defendant was negligent, and that it thereby contributed to the happening of the material explosion which caused the claimant some injury.
‘It is admitted that the claimant sustained serious injuries in the accident, but the defendant is unable to admit their nature or extent.
‘The defendant reserves the right to obtain and rely on its own medical evidence in due course.’
In its claim against CPC Civils Group Limited and Severn Trent Water Limited, lawyers for Pipe Testing Services Limited say it is seeking ‘an indemnity, or in the alternative a contribution to (its) liability for damages and costs in the main action as a consequence of the accident on 23rd August 2022.’
‘The defendant expects an indemnity, or in the alternative a contribution to the damages and costs, for which they may be adjudged to be liable to the claimant as per the value pleaded in the main action,’ court papers filed on behalf of the company state.
The damages claim will be decided in a trial at the High Court to be held at a later date, if not settled outside of court in the meantime.