Another casualty has emerged with a tale of woe at the Cromwell Mall.
She complained to the Central Otago District Council about the surface and said it took far too long for the complaint to be addressed. She fell last Friday and did not hear from the council until Monday.
Alexandra woman Terrena Walsh said she also fell awkwardly at the mall just over two years ago and was still feeling the effects now.
She was walking with her daughter and granddaughter when she tripped and fell. She had just had an operation on her hands so was reluctant to use them to break her fall.
She landed on her knees and injured her left one.
"People came over to help me and said you have to report it. Just a few moments before I was holding the baby but thank goodness I handed her back to my daughter," she said.
"So I went to the council offices and reported it and said what had happened. But nothing happened. I never heard from them.
"With my knee I’ve had two years of pain since, been to the physio; the swelling ... I was having a lot of bother with it. In the end, this year I rang the specialist and had an operation. I’m a biker, a walker and hiker but it has been bothering me so much," she said.
She had fallen on the paving stones near the Cromwell Brew House.
She was angry having read the fate of Mrs Stevens and said it was not good enough that the mall was causing injuries to people.
Bob McAuley also contacted the Otago Daily Times yesterday saying he had tripped over the same paving stones as Mrs Stevens.
The Central Otago District Council said yesterday it had fixed the uneven surface where Mrs Stevens fell. As part of the Cromwell master plan consultation process, a new town centre design was being proposed, and a design for a town square was being studied.
It was a long-term project with an update due in the new year.
In the meantime, the council had carried out routine inspections of the mall’s surface.
Given the age and type, the cobblestones could cause issues from time to time, and any repairs were carried out as soon as possible, the council said.
The uneven surface was repaired within 24 hours of being notified on Monday, the council said.
The council would continue to look after this surface as long as required.
The council has been in touch with Mrs Stevens and apologised to her for the fall.
Mrs Stevens said she was glad the paving stones had been repaired but the council needed to have a good maintenance plan for the mall and ensure it was safe everywhere.
