Ceiling collapses on Kiwi woman in Queensland after problem was reported to property manager

New Zealander Melissa Ware was visiting her sister’s Queensland home in October when the ceiling collapsed on her in the middle of the night.

A woman has spoken out about the terrifying experience of a ceiling collapsing on her while she was visiting her sister’s rental property Queensland.

Melissa Ware, from New Zealand, who was asleep at the time, said she felt an enormous weight on top of her and was panicked by the loud bang.

“It was pitch black, so I had no idea what was happening,” she said about the October incident in an interview with the Courier Mail.

“I couldn’t see anything either until my sister and her husband opened the door to try to find out what the noise was, and a bit of light came into the room … they were shocked to find me laying under everything pleading for help.”

According to Ware’s sister, she had previously raised concerns with their Hollywell rental property manager about the cracking and sagging of the ceiling and called the real estate agency several times to address the issue, but no action was taken.

The incident occurred despite a maintenance worker having provided a repair quote after part of the ceiling collapsed in another bedroom and narrowly missed an elderly relative.

“We kept contacting Ray White and asking them what was happening with it, but they kept saying they were waiting for a response from the landlord,” Ware’s sister said.

“And this was after us raising the issue with them at every inspection we had over the three or four years we lived there.”

The ceiling collapsed after the problem was reported to the property manager.

Ali Mian, the principal of Ray White Runaway Bay, expressed his deep regret to the Courier Mail for what had happened to Ware.

He claimed issues with the ceiling were discovered during a routine inspection by the property manager, and they had been waiting for instructions from the owner to engage a tradesperson.

Mian told the Courier Mail, “We are sorry that someone’s been hurt in this accident. The owner is now undertaking a full repair and renovation of their property’s spare room.”

As a result of the incident, Ware suffered head, neck, and back injuries that required pain medication and physiotherapy.

She also experiences anxiety, nightmares, hypervigilance, and sleeplessness.

“I’m constantly waiting for something else bad to happen,” she said.

“I’ve gone from someone who used to be the first one to bed to now being the last one up, because I revisit that night every time I close my eyes.”

A lawyer is currently investigating a public liability claim on behalf of Ware.