Grieving son to sue holiday resort after mother's airing cupboard death

Craig Isherwood is bringing legal action against Macdonald Resorts after his mother’s tragic death at one of the company’s Welsh getaways.

His late mother Elizabeth Isherwood, known as Mary, died from hypothermia after failing to break free from the holiday home’s airing cupboard when the doorknob broke.

Mr Isherwood, from Wolverhampton, said: “My mother died in the most terrible circumstances you could imagine.

"Mum was fit and healthy and had years of a very happy life ahead of her.

“She had been playing golf almost on a daily basis and enjoyed looking after my two daughters, for whom she provided lots of care.

"She had a great job as a part-time carer which she thoroughly enjoyed because it meant she was able to meet lots of new people.

“The legal action is not about the compensation, because how can you put a value on a life? It is about the fact that this should never have happened.

“I just want the company to admit that they made a mistake in not checking the door properly and make sure that this cannot happen to anyone else.”

Locked in

Former policewoman Mrs Isherwood was locked in the cupboard in the middle of the night after the door handle broke during her solo trip last September.

The door opened inwards and closed behind her, an inquest on the 60-year-old heard in June.

She fought for hours to free herself from the cupboard, clawing through brickwork and plaster using a pipe she had broken to chisel through the walls.

However the Wolverhampton mother-of-one, who was naked, was drenched in water spraying from the broken pipe – which accelerated the hypothermia.

She had managed to make a hole through to the other side of the wall but did not realise she could escape as a picture was in the way.

Mr Isherwood, an RAC patrolman, added: “A couple in a neighbouring apartment heard banging and thought they would report it if it went on after 5pm.

"Sadly, my mother gave up her attempt at five past five so they assumed it had been maintenance workers who had finished for the day.”

One week later

The tragedy took place on the first day of Mrs Isherwood’s one-week stay at Plas Talgarth holiday complex near Machynlleth. She had not even unpacked.

Her body was found a week later by a maintenance worker when water began to seep through the ceiling.

The inquest ruled former Post Office employee Mrs Isherwood, known to close ones as Mary, died of misadventure.

Mr Isherwood, who lives near Dovecotes, alleges Macdonald Resorts was negligent in failing to check whether the door handle was working properly.

The 33-year-old is being represented by Adam Wilson, of firm FBC Manby Bowdler’s serious injury and clinical negligence team.

'Impossible to imagine the distress'

Mr Wilson said he will seek compensation for Mrs Isherwood’s injuries and the loss of the care she had been giving to her grandchildren.

He added: “This was a quite horrific tragedy. There is no amount of money which can compensate Mr Isherwood and his two children for the loss of a much-loved mother and grandmother.

“But we believe that this was a tragedy which could, and should have been avoided.

"It is impossible to imagine the distress that Mrs Isherwood must have gone through as she tried to free herself from that cupboard.

“The central issue is whether the company was negligent in not correctly maintaining the door at the property, which we believe to be the case.”

Mrs Isherwood was holidaying at the resort for the last time after the family agreed to sell its share in the timeshare apartment.

She returned to the UK after emigrating to New Zealand to be close to her family and regularly cared for grandchildren Molly, 11, and Poppy, eight.

Mr Isherwood recalled telling his children details of their grandmother’s death following the inquest.

He added: “It is the worst possible conversation a father can have with his children, but thankfully they are incredibly resilient, even though they miss their grandmother terribly.”

Macdonald Resorts were approached for comment.