This Is Guernsey

By Nick Mollet

AN ELDERLY woman lay unconscious and bleeding after falling into an unfenced pit. Even when Olive Haines came around, no one heard her cries for help.

Eventually the 84-year-old managed to crawl out of the pit to a neighbour’s house and her son was called.

No one knows how long she lay unconscious with a serious head wound.

‘My mother is lucky to be alive,’ her building contractor son, Richard, 62, said yesterday.

‘This was a life-threatening incident.’

Mrs Haines is now recovering at her home, 7, Rosemount, Mont Arrive, but has been left deeply traumatised.

Mr Haines has taken legal advice on his mother’s behalf and could claim damages from Housing.

‘She could have died if she had not regained consciousness. She had a huge loss of blood and had to be put on a drip.

‘My mother is a tough old Guern, but we are lucky to still have her with us.

‘Someone must make the area safe.’

It was about 6.30pm on 26 November when Mrs Haines left the home in which she has lived for more than 20 years to walk to Mont Arrive through the estate, which has no street lighting.

It was while walking across an area of grass that she fell three to four feet into the gap between the estate road and the southern wall of the Fitness Factory building.

Mr Haines was shocked that there was no barrier to prevent the people who use the area daily from falling into the pit, no adequate lighting and no warning signs.

He called Housing minister Dave Jones and an inspector met Mr Haines on site.

Mr Haines asked if the area could be made safe.

‘I was told they could not put a barrier up because that would be tantamount to admitting liability.’

His advocate said that the accident had happened on States-owned land, Mr Haines said.

Frustrated by a lack of action, he contacted the Guernsey Press.

‘We both wish something would be done. This would not have happened if there had been street lighting.’

He believes elderly residents have raised concerns about the lack of lighting before.

A Housing spokesman said: ‘This matter is currently being investigated. Therefore, it would not be appropriate to comment at this time. We understand that Mr Haines is seeking legal advice. However, the department has not yet received a letter from an advocate regarding this matter.’