Action urged over town’s faulty pavements after elderly man falls

A STRABANE woman, whose father took a nasty fall in the town centre, has hit out at the Department of Infrastructure over the state of pavements locally.

Marie O’Neill’s 84-year-old father Pat was heading along Main Street last Wednesday when he slipped; the subsequent fall breaking two bones in his ankle. It is the latest in a long line of accidents to befall residents due to faulty footpaths.

Marie explained, “My daddy was going home and as he approached the brae at DV8, he slipped and fell. That brae is particularly dangerous at the best of times, but especially so during the snowy weather. I know that he had been holding onto the railing… so he was definitely exercising caution.

“So many people over the years have had serious falls and accidents on that particular stretch of the town pavements, and I think it’s high time that something was done about the terrible state of the pavements in Strabane. There has been an on-going campaign for years to have them replaced and surely this is another example as to why it needs to happen now.”

Marie would like to thank everyone who came to Pat’s aid during his ordeal as he waited 50 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.

“Strabane is a great wee town and the way that people on the street rallied around daddy, bringing him blankets and scraping the ice away from the pavements, was brilliant,” she said. “It shows the generous spirit we have in the town. My daddy has lived in Bridge Street for the past 55 years and everyone knows him. The police just happened to be driving by when the fall happened and they stayed with him until the ambulance arrived.”

After Pat’s admission to hospital on the Wednesday, he had three pins placed in his ankle after undergoing surgery the following Saturday.

“Daddy has always been a hugely independent man and we can’t stop him or stifle his independence,” Marie added. “I just hope that someone will take the situation seriously now and have the pavements fixed.”

Local councillors have moved quickly to ensure the situation is addressed once and for all.

Sinn Féin Councillor Michaela Boyle said, “The slate paving on footpaths throughout in the town centre are a slip hazard in wet or icy conditions and all need to be reviewed…

“I have once again written to Roads Service asking to address the problem once and for all by providing a non-slip surface to alleviate the slip hazards currently being posed.”

Similarly, at a council gathering this week, independent councillor, Paul Gallagher secured a emergency meeting with the Department for Infrastructure with regards to the lack of safety of footpaths within the town.

“This issue has been ‘under investigation’ for the past three or four years and nothing has been done,” he said. “The stones are too slippery to walk on and the handrails are insufficient.

“Council needs to grill DfI over what they are going to do about the problem as they shouldn’t have to take responsibility over this health and safety nightmare.”

After being contacted for an explanation, a spokesperson for DfI said, “The Department is aware of concerns raised recently by local representatives about this stretch of footway. The issue is under active investigation.”