A woman who tripped while climbing stairs at a regional Queensland hospital has been awarded $1.6 million in damages for her injuries. Amelia Anne Covey, who worked as a physiotherapist at the Charters Towers Hospital in the state’s north, suffered neck and arm injuries during the fall in May 2010. Two engineers told the Supreme Court in Townsville the vertical gaps between steps on the staircase were inconsistent and outside tolerances allowed in the building code. They said her stumble was consistent with what could happen when heights of staircase risers varied too much. Ms Covey, now 34, said she continued to suffer regular pain and headaches since the fall. She had been climbing up the staircase when she tripped.
