A high street home furnishing store is facing legal action after
an 83-year-old women died after a fall at a store in Surrey.
DIY giant Homebase has been accused by Andrew Widgery, son of
Margaret, who died after losing her balance at the top of a flight
of stairs at the firm's Godalming branch, of failing to meet safety
standards and not caring about his mother's death.
Mr Widgery said he was worried that changes made at the store
after her death had not been rolled out across the country, leaving
customers at risk of suffering a
catastrophic injury and increasing the firm's exposure to
personal
injury claims.
The grandmother of four lost her balance as she reached out for
a handrail as she let another customer pass, falling down the
stairs and losing consciousness. She was taken to hospital but died
of her injuries the next day.
Mr Widgery said his mother's death could have been prevented had
the store taken action to ensure the safety of the stairwell. He
said the design of the stairs meant that his mother was unable to
reach a handrail as another customer came past.
"This could so easily have been prevented and I am just really
worried that nationally nothing has been done to protect customers
and that my mum's death meant nothing to them," he said.
Nobody at Homebase was immediately available to comment.