Nana 90 years old fell in car park. Advice please

[Fingerscrossed11]

Firstly thank you for reading and thank you again for any advice.

My nana was 90 in June and doesn’t go out very often. She goes to bingo which she has loved for as long as I can remember and I’m 44. I’m her granddaughter. She goes to bingo 2 afternoons a week max sometimes not as many. Bingo lasts maybe 2 hours. One day a week my mum (her daughter) and I (her granddaughter) take her out for her shopping/groceries/little extras.

Today we went out and when we nearly finished shopping my nana said she wasn’t feeling well, she was just not wanting to take her coat off and felt a bit hot. I took my nana out to the car to have a seat. We were literally 5-10 feet from the car as I went to open the car door for her to get in. There was an island in between parked cars with a post up high saying how long we could be there before we were charged but cars were parked alongside it and my nana fell over it. I’ve never felt so frightened. Even now I xan see it happen in slow motion. I ran over immediately and as she’s had two knee replacement she isn’t very mobile. Luckily a man came over who must have heard me scream or see my nana fall and helped me lift her up to carry her to the car. On getting to the car I noticed she had a deep cut to her upper eyelid and cuts on her hand. She was then very sick I think due to the shock and was shaking due to this. After the shock wore off she’s feeling sore down the one side of her body where she fell. After she fell she was looking for her glasses but there were shattered. Before I left her tonight she had bruised swollen lip, black/bruised eye and bruised nose. I dread to think how bruised she will be tomorrow.
after a long cry and thinking what I can do to stop this happening again I’m looking for advice to whether to contact car park. This island is between parked cars in all directions, to the side front and back and I don’t think this is safe.
can anyone advise please. I would hate this to happen to anyone else.
thank you

Slightly odd. Instead of opening the car door, you probably should have been holding your nanas hand to get into the car as she was feeling unwell?

1. medical attention for nana
2. photos of injuries
3. photo of car park island
4. contact council to find out who is responsible for area
5. write to whenever is responsible about the said area
6. talk to claims lawyers
7. write everything down today to keep (while fresh in memory)
8. contact detail of witness
9. see if there is CCTV somewhere

THIS.
A poor old boy collapsed recently on a pavement, and his poor head was gashed.
Blood everywhere, and the poor man vomited.

He's still in hospital.

He's late 70's/early 80's.

Fractures may not be immediately obvious. Mortality rate from pelvic fractures in elderly persons is high. Your nana is already known to have a head injury. Sorry you weren't looking after her properly but your degree of omission of care and the car park layout are irrelevant. Time to move on and look after her now by seeking medical attention.

Explain how she has extensive bruising to her face and broken glasses then ? If she didn't hit her head

Also, you say she wasn't feeling well then say you ran to her when she fell - why weren't you holding on to her ? You were far enough away that you ran ?

You seem more concerned with the layout of the car park, I assume a compensation claim is lurking but you should be more concerned about an elderly lady who has had a medical event and a nasty fall

Old people's bones are brittle. She could have several fractures from a very simple fall, and instead of having her checked, you are sitting posting in MN. That's so neglectful

Interesting that the injuries are significant when the question is about contacting the car park but minimal when it means actually getting her some medical attention.

Schrödinger's head injury.

How on earth do you know she didn't have a stroke?

I am sorry about your grandmother. I wear glasses and I am very confused how these broke and cut her without her having hit her head. Is she on blood thinning medication? If she is I would still take her to see a doctor.

Cake to say exactly the same as @Thekormachameleon

Vulnerable, elderly person has a fall and injures themselves. Lightbulb moment! Let's sue the carpark. Face palm.

I'm glad the OP isn't my granddaughter.

Car parks have kerbs, etc it’s quite normal. 99.9% of people safely navigate round or over them. Does not sound an unusual car park. One near me has lots of little trees inbetween parking spaces and there are kerbs around the trees.

And yes you don’t get a black eye, a swollen lip and a bruised nose from glasses falling off your face. She hit her head/face.

She said she felt unwell which was the reason you were heading to the car
The carpark is a non issue
Why did she fall ,,,,,low bp, start of infection etc
I would prioritise her being seen and checked over by a medic

I am sorry your grandma fell and hurt herself. I hope she is ok. Her confidence will probably have been affected as well as the injuries she sustained.

If you are so convinced the car park is dangerous, write a letter to the council H and S telling them, take some photos at the car park showing the exact issue and some showing your grandma's injuries. That's about all you can do.

If you are looking to sue the first thing, they will ask for is medical reports not 'but I didn't feel like feel like it as I want blame the carpark'

Exactly. Who, , when out with a 90 year old , doesn’t stay close and help them into the car? Even if they are very independent and you do it surreptitiously.

some toe tag claim company will take it on though, perhaps we will see op and grandma in the Mail, this is a prime sad face opportunity.

I'm sorry you're getting a hard time here OP.

But truly, like others I don't think the car park infrastructure is the problem. From the outside, it sounds like misplaced anger. Which is totally understandable by the way.

I hope she recovers well. We get very fragile by age 90, you won't necessarily know if there are other injuries. Especially if she's the tough type who'll always say "I'm fine! Stop fussing".

Wishing you all well, what a nasty shock.

deep cut to her upper eyelid and cuts on her hand

The deep cut would probably require stitches and the cuts on her hand should be checked given her age

She was then very sick I think due to the shock

Another significant indicator for the need for medical attention. Head injury (see above gash to eyelid) plus vomiting.

she’s feeling sore down the one side of her body where she fell

At 90 she could have internal bleeding and fractures

bruised swollen lip, black/bruised eye and bruised nose

I can't believe you didn't get a medical professional to checker her over and instead are wittering on about the layout of the car park 😳

Your first aid skills are the issue not the car park. You needed to leave her where she was, made her comfortable and should have rung an ambulance. Yes they'll probably take a long time to come however it is very very easy for frail people to break a hip and not know it.

The fact she was sick after suggests that actually she did hit her head as that is an early sign of concussion.

My grandmother was 90 before she died and sounds very much like yours. I would have either phoned an ambulance or taken her straight to the hospital.

This sounds very much like you're angling for a compo claim...

She needs to go to A&E.

Forget about the car park. It’s not a hazard. There’s a post sticking out of the island FFS. There’s your hazard warning. Your nana didn’t see it and had a nasty accident, but it was just an accident.

I hope she’s feeling ok this morning x

This thread reminds of the one years ago where someone's toddler ran into a corner of a glass table in a bar and they were worried about the bar being unsafe than the injury.

I'm sorry your Nan fell and I'm sure you had a shock.

But car parks are like this up and the down the country. You know they are. You know the raised bit is there. You need to be helping your Nan more to manage seeing them not expecting companies to change the design nationally!

Before I left her tonight she had bruised swollen lip, black/bruised eye and bruised nose.

Glasses falling off your face don't cause this sort of damage. This is LITERALLY a head injury.

I hope she's ok this morning op. Please take her to A&E this morning, just for peace of mind

You're focusing on the wrong thing here, @Fingerscrossed11

Your grandmother needs medical attention. If she has wounds anywhere on her face, she has sustained a head injury.