The disabled parking bay at Bayside Mall where Mandi De Beer allegedly tripped over a concrete wheel stop and fell, according to her husband, Ray De Beer.
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A Table View pensioner has raised safety concerns after his wife was injured in a fall at a disabled parking bay outside Bayside Mall last month.
According to 64-year-old Ray De Beer, the incident occurred on Saturday, February 28, when he and his wife, Mandi, visited the shopping centre.
He said that his wife continues to suffer from injuries sustained during the incident.
Mr De Beer, who is disabled and uses a walking stick, parked in a disabled bay near The Crazy Store to run errands.
“My wife got out of the car first while I was slowly getting out. She walked around the car and suddenly disappeared. Then I heard her shout,” he said.
Mr De Beer said that when he reached the front of the vehicle, he found his wife lying on the ground after she allegedly tripped over a concrete block in the parking bay.
“She tripped over the block and hit her head on a large rock placed in front of the disabled bay,” he said.
He said there were no security officers nearby at the time, and members of the public assisted him in helping his wife back onto her feet.
The couple went to a nearby pharmacy to buy pain medication.
“We did not have the money to go to a doctor. We also refused to sit at Dunoon Day Hospital because we would have had to wait for hours.”
Mr De Beer said his wife has continued to experience headaches since the incident and is unable to lie on the side on which she fell.
He said he expected the mall management to arrange for his wife to be examined by a medical professional, but they refused to take accountability.
After reporting the matter to the mall, Mr De Beer was informed by the centre’s legal representatives that the property owner could not be held liable.
“They said we entered at our own risk because disclaimer notices at the entrance exempt Growthpoint from liability,” he said.
Mall manager Sharne Smit confirmed the centre was aware of the incident.
“Bayside Mall is aware of the concerns raised by Mr De Beer regarding an incident involving his wife on February 28. We regret that Ms De Beer was injured and sincerely wish her a full recovery,” she said.
Ms Smit said the mall’s onsite team investigated after the incident was reported, which included reviewing CCTV footage and assessing the parking area.
“The investigation confirmed that the concrete wheel stop in that bay is a standard parking installation used widely across parking facilities,” she said.
She said that the wheel stops were designed to prevent vehicles from rolling forward onto pedestrian walkways and shopfronts and are painted bright yellow for visibility.
“The same wheel stops are installed across entrances 1, 2, and 4,” Ms Smit said.
Ms Smit said Mr De Beer was contacted the next business day and met with management when he visited the mall’s office the following morning.
She said the matter was referred to the mall’s insurers for an independent assessment.
“After reviewing all available information, the insurers advised that there is no legal basis upon which liability could be attributed to the property owner,” she said.
Ms Smit said that the mall remains committed to providing a safe and accessible environment for all patrons.
But mall manager, Sharne Smit, shot back saying their are parking blocks around three entrances at the mall
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