London Stage Manager Rachael Presdee Receives £3.7 Million After Being Paralyzed in Work Accident

According to the Guardian, Rachael Presdee, a stage manager for the Headlong Theatre's production of BOYS in 2012, has been awarded £3.7 million after being left paralyzed in an accident during the show's run. Presdee's out-of-court settlement is one of the largest payouts in UK's Equity history.

Read the original report here.

Presdee was working at the Soho Theatre in London when she walked through an unmarked backstage door, through a black curtain, and into "thin air," falling three meters (10 feet) to the floor. The door had allegedly been used for the famous balcony scene in Shakespeare's ROMEO AND JULIET but was never marked or locked for safety.

"I could not have imagined when I walked in to work on 9 June 2012 that I would never walk out of there, or walk anywhere else ever again," Presdee said. She also took the 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 stage manager spent six months in the hospital following her fall and now uses a wheelchair to get around. The damages will be used to cover Presdee's cost of home care, specially adapted equipment, and the loss of her job.

Soho Theatre said in a statement: "We have done as much as we can to ensure that Rachael received the best possible care after the accident and we are relieved for her that her civil claim has now been settled."

Headlong's spokesperson also said the company had "enormous regret that the accident ever happened."

Read more about the settlement on Equity's website.

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!