Contractor Harris Calnan accused of negligence after crane topples and kills carpenter on site in north London

The partner of a carpenter crushed to death by a crane is suing main contractor Harris Calnan Construction for compensation of up to £1m.

Father of one Craig Page, 26, was working on an access tower on a site in Hampstead, north London, on 6 March when a mobile crane toppled forward. The boom crushed his chest and he died at the scene.

An inquest into his death was adjourned in September when two key witnesses said they would refuse to answer questions, apart from saying “no comment”.

Now Michelle O’Donoghue, 29, his partner of seven years, is suing Harris Calnan over the accident. She claims the company was negligent, and says it failed to carry out a suitable risk assessment, review previous risk assessments, provide a crane that was suitable for use at the site and in efficient working order and good repair.

The writ also says the company failed to ensure staff had adequate training to use the crane and that employees had safe access and a safe work place. It adds that the crane driver failed to drive the crane in a safe manner, allowed it to topple forwards, allowed it to be overloaded, and exposed Mr Page to a risk of injury.

The project involved demolishing a sixties house, and building a four-storey property with a new basement as a replacement.