Widow Sues For £200,000 After Husband Crushed by Falling Urinal

The widow of a maintenance worker who was crushed to death by a falling pop-up lavatory has launched a High Court claim for more than £200,000 in compensation.

Kevin Holding, 60, from Beckenham, Kent, died in January 2023 while working in an inspection chamber beneath a retractable urinal located outside the Palace Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue in London's West End.

Court documents reveal that Mr Holding suffered "catastrophic" injuries when the urinal "suddenly and without warning dropped and fell onto him." The unit, manufactured by Dutch firm Urilift, is designed to remain underground during the day and rise at night via a hydraulic system for use by late-night revellers.

Mr Holding's long-term partner, Katrina Woods, is suing his employer, Hi-Tech Washroom Solutions, alleging negligence and breach of duty. On January 27, 2023, Mr Holding had been sent to carry out repairs to the urinal, which required him to enter the void beneath the device.

He was crushed when the unit descended unexpectedly and is believed to have died from acute suffocation.

In her claim, Ms Woods argues that Hi-Tech failed to provide proper training and did not adequately maintain the urinal. Her barrister, Simon Brindle, stated that "the urinal dropped as a result of a catastrophic failure of a fitting in its hydraulic system," which had become "excessively corroded" due to poor maintenance.

Hi-Tech Washroom Solutions denies liability, insisting another contractor was responsible for maintaining the hydraulic system. The company's barrister, Anna Symington, acknowledged that corrosion likely caused the failure but said, "The defendant was not responsible for the maintenance of the hydraulic system; further, the defendant was not a specialist hydraulic contractor."

The defence also claims that Mr Holding, described as an experienced and well-trained operator, "contributed" to the accident by "failing to take sufficient care for his own safety."

The case has not yet gone to trial and will be tested before a judge at a later date.

GV Hale