Woman falls into hole in pavement outside cafe
Posted: May 2, 2015
Posted in: Pothole Injuries Public Place Accidents
A woman in her 40s was rescued by cafe worker, Mohammad Atilla, after falling down a hole in the pavement just minutes after a man had fallen down the same hole, twisting his ankle. Workers in the area also rushed to help the woman when they heard a loud scream just before 9 o’clock in the morning.
The victims had fallen into a 3 foot wide chasm that had appeared outside a cafe on North End Road in Fulham, south west London. Emergency services were called for the female victim who was then taken to hospital. The woman was shaken but not seriously injured.
Mr Atillah reports seeing the hole outside the cafe and tried to cordon off the area by blocking it with tables and chairs, according to local stall holders. It seems that despite shouts by cafe workers however, the woman, who had a shopping trolley, squeezed through the makeshift barrier and plummeted down the void.
Mr Atillah rushed to her assistance via the basement. He helped her to get to the floor of the basement under the cafe and she managed to walk back up the stairs.
‘patient was shaken’
The area around the hole had been blocked off with tables and chairs, in an attempt to stop people walking into it, nearby market stall holders said. However, they added despite shouts by cafe staff, the woman who had a shopping trolley, squeezed through the chairs and fell down the hole.
Lecturer in civil and geotechnical engineering at Nottingham Trent University, Dr Rob Evans, said “Potentially if water gets underneath the footpath it can weaken the material a little bit”.
The victim was taken to Charing Cross Hospital where the London Ambulance Service stated, “The patient was shaken but not seriously injured.” Fulham Council staff have since cordoned off the hole to avoid further injury to innocent bypassers.
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