Uneven Paving Leaves Elderly Man Injured

Reporting of uneven pavements is crucial for safety

Discussion on the Forum this week about potholes and uneven paving stones brought a post from Emma Daniels whose father injured himself after tripping over the uneven pavement outside his home.

This event, and others like it, show just how important it is to report uneven paving stones to Ealing Council so that they can deal with the problem.

This is not the first time Robert (Bob) Daniels has sustained injuries tripping on an uneven pavement. Four years ago, also on St Dunstan's Avenue - but in a different section of pavement - he fell in a similar way. That section of pavement was subsequently repaired.

This recent incident highlights the dangers of uneven pavements for the elderly, disabled and very young children.

Mr Daniels is 78 and has lived on St Dunstan's Avenue for 15 years. He was putting his rubbish out earlier this week when he tripped over another uneven paving stone.

As you can see from the photograph (right) he received bad injuries to his face - two black eyes and six stitches above one eye. His neighbour's daughter rushed him to hospital as he was bleeding profusely.

Mr Daniels and his wife Loli told us: "The paving in this section of St Dunstan's Avenue (opposite no. 150) is really bad. We think it may be because the parking in this area is very bad - people park around here to use the tube and we often can't find a space near our house. We think much of the damage may also be caused by skip lorries and other vehicles using driveways and causing damage."

Dee Cook commented on the Forum this week: " It is important that each defect is reported to the Council - the Council sending an acknowledgement.  This should ensure that the repair is completed within a reasonable period of time, unless it is dangerous, wherein someone should be dispatched immediately from the Council with portable guardrailing and cones to cordon off the area to avoid accidents.  This does not appear to be happening - and it is very worrying."

Fortunately for Mr Daniels, although his face looks very sore, he did not sustain any serious injuries this time. We hope he will recover very quickly from his fall.

February 27, 2009