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by ANNABEL SCAIFE
A faint plea for help from
a dark corner of Point Chevalier's Joan Street Reserve stirred Michael
Davis into action on Tuesday night.
He rushed up his driveway to find 89-year-old
Elsie Patterson lying across a new Auckland City footpath. She had tripped
over a short wooden post. She was covered in blood and badly shaken.
Mr Davis' wife, Paula, phoned an ambulance.
"She had been lying there for a while,"
says Mr Davis, whose property is adjacent to the reserve. "What
would have happened if she had died?" Mrs Patterson's son, Keith,
whose house is also by the reserve, and Mr Davis, had earlier this year
raised concerns with the Western Bays Community Board about the upgrade.
Both were worried that pedestrians using the reserve would be hit by
cars as they moved off a new footpath and on to the reserve's road.
The upgrade included pedestrian steps and
a walkway leading down on to the reserve, a hand-rail, planting and
beach access signs. The community board has allocated funds for lighting,
but this is yet to be installed.
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Mr Davis' wife, Paula, phoned
an ambulance.
"She had been lying there for a while,"
says Mr Davis, whose property is adjacent to the reserve. "What
would have happened if she had died?" Mrs Patterson's son, Keith,
whose house is also by the reserve, and Mr Davis, had earlier this year
raised concerns with the Western Bays Community Board about the upgrade.
Both were worried that pedestrians using the reserve would be hit by
cars as they moved off a new footpath and on to the reserve's road.
The upgrade included pedestrian steps and a walkway leading
down on to the reserve, a hand-rail, planting and beach access signs.
The community board has allocated funds for lighting, but this is yet
to be installed.
Community Board chairwoman Catherine Hawley
says the accident on Tuesday night is unrelated to any concerns raised
by residents in the past.
"It's very sad. It just so happened
the street light hadn't come on at that moment," says Mrs Hawley.
"It's terribly unfortunate an elderly person had a traumatic fall."
Mr Davis, a retired builder, spent $500
on lawyer's fees trying to get the board to reconsider the project.
"I wanted them to stop the developments,
but we couldn't do anything because it is the council's property. It's
unbelievable. It's the community board beating their drums to get what
they want, when they've got no practical experience."
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NASTY FALL:
Elsie Patterson hit the pavement face-first at the Joan St Reserve.
Photo: JASON OXENHAM.
Mr Davis says there is no
way Mrs Patterson could have seen the upright post in the unlit reserve.
Auckland City parks officer Mike Leaity
arrived at 7.20pm, after receiving a complaint relating to the incident,
and placed a drum over the bollard.
Mr Leaity says the wooden post was placed
in the footpath to prevent people tripping over a hole made for reserve
signs and had been there for five or six weeks.
"It's a freak accident," he says.
However, the council will investigate the
issue which will result in a procedure review.
"Somebody's made a misjudgement. Hindsight's
a great thing, but it doesn't help," Mr Leaity says.
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