Warwick man pleased work is finally underway after tripping on uneven paving near Tesco, causing facial injuries
A resident from Warwick has said that he is pleased repair work is finally underway after he suffered injuries to his face when he tripped on uneven paving.
Carl Ward, aged 38, fell while walking along a pedestrian access to the Tesco Superstore in Emscote Road on March 19.
The access is behind a bus stop next to 104 Emscote Road.
The dad of two, who has also 15 years of experience working in health and safety, reported the uneven paving to Tesco immediately after the incident.
Carl said: “I went to Tesco for a ‘meal deal’ and came away with injuries to my face.
“It was painful and upsetting, but what has stayed with me most is the thought that the next person might be elderly, frail or living with limited mobility.
“I’m 38 and was able to pick myself back up. If that had been someone’s mum, dad or grandparent, a fall like this could take away their confidence or independence in seconds.
“Nobody should have to risk being injured simply because they need to buy their groceries.”
This then led to months of back and forth between Carl, Tesco and Warwickshire County Council to establish who was responsible for the area, and the repairs Carl was pushing for.
Carl added: “After 15 years working in health and safety, I know how important it is to act when a hazard has been identified – particularly once somebody has already been injured.
“I reported it straight away because I wanted to prevent the same thing happening to somebody else.
“Instead, it felt as though responsibility had simply been passed around while the danger remains.
“It should not take another person being hurt before somebody acts.”
When approached about the safety concerns, a spokesperson from Warwickshire County Council said: “The land where the incident took place is not classified as highway maintainable at public expense (HMPE) land as it falls within the boundary of land owned by Tesco.”
So Carl called Tesco and the local authority to work together to determine responsibility for the footway, arrange an urgent inspection and ensure any necessary repairs are completed.
Carl, who said he had also received a similar response from the council, then went back to Tesco asking for action to be taken on the damaged paving.
Tesco confirmed to The Courier and Weekly News that it is responsible for the area where Carl’s incident happened and that work was starting in the area.
Although it has taken six months for action to be taken, Carl said he is pleased work is now happening.
He said: “I reported the defect immediately following my incident on March 19 – so in effect it has taken six months for them to make the area safe.
“The team have been on site to removed the paving slabs and put up safety barriers around the dangerous area.
“But it appears the dangerous footway is a complex repair, which requires additional work due to tree roots.
“I am pleased they are now prioritising customers’ safety.
“My main priority was to draw their attention to the danger before anyone else had an accident.”
Carl also told The Courier and Weekly News that he intends to make a claim for his injury “now that liability has been established”.