Yellow tape has been added to the metal lip of the war memorial since the incident. Photo / Paul Taylor
Yellow tape has been added to the metal lip of the war memorial since the incident. Photo / Paul Taylor
A Napier family wants immediate safety improvements to the city’s newly-renovated War Memorial Centre after an elderly woman tripped and fell awkwardly into a manmade pond and fractured her pelvis.
The 88-year-old grandmother was taken to hospital after the incident in early November and died earlier this month.
Her grieving family say she never recovered from the fall.
The Napier woman was visiting the newly reopened centre with her husband when she tripped and fell over a 6cm-high metal lip which runs along the edge of the pond, near the entrance to the memorial centre.
That metal lip was designed to stop wheelchairs from rolling into the water and there are otherwise no safety railings.
One of her family members, who spoke to Hawke’s Bay Today under the condition of anonymity for the woman and himself, said the lip was an “obvious trip hazard”, but safety railings that could mitigate it had yet to be installed.
Napier City Council owns the War Memorial Centre on Marine Parade and completed a long-awaited and at-times fraught upgrade of the site in August, including adding the pond.
Council chief executive Louise Miller said railings would soon be installed for sections of the pond following the accident.
“Stainless steel railings are being designed and fabricated, and these will be installed soon.
“We have conducted a comprehensive health and safety review of the site.
“The metal lip around the pools was designed to stop wheelchair and pushchair wheels.
The Napier War Memorial Centre reopened last year following some upgrades. Pictured is the pond where the incident happened. Photo / NZME
“Decisions on such elements of the design were made in conjunction with guidance from accessibility advisers.”
Yellow caution tape has also been added to the metal lip, and some signage installed, to improve safety.
Miller said the council’s thoughts were with the family and staff provided support after the accident, staying with the couple until emergency services arrived.
She said the council had also been in contact with the family since then to provide support and “liaise on changes that could be made”.
The family member claimed the council had not contacted him directly since November, apart from responding to requests for information.
He said the woman suffered multiple fractures to the pelvis and foot after falling into the pond, and he believed it led to her death.
“She was in good health - exercising by walking most days. She never recovered from these injuries and passed away 10 weeks later.”
He said it was an obvious hazard and he simply wanted the site made safe so it did not happen again.
“Having names to read and a flame to look at obviously takes your line of sight upwards away from the trip hazard below.
“We are [almost] three months post-incident and the site remains unsafe.
“The remedial steps taken in that time - yellow tape and hazard signs - are totally inadequate.”
Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.
