Woman is ‘lucky to be alive’ after falling couch crushed her
Two men are charged after she was left badly injured
A WOMAN is ‘lucky to be alive’ after she was crushed by a couch which fell from a roof above her.
Edita Butkeviciut, 30, was knocked unconscious and left with serious injuries when the sofa crashed onto her head outside her workplace.
She needed surgery for multiple broken bones, including a fractured spine, broken thigh and broken ankle and it is expected she will be in hospital for 12 weeks.
It is understood she lay underneath the sofa for 40 minutes before a passer-by heard her screams and ran to her aid. Co-workers at Nailco Nail Bar in Aberdeen then found her in the yard at the back of the building on the city’s Union Street.
Two men have now been charged in connection with the incident, which happened on Saturday, December 7.
Miss Butkeviciut was speaking on the phone to her partner of 11 years, Daniel Ferreira, when the accident happened.
He said: ‘At least she’s alive, the doctors say they don’t know how she survived. I’m just glad she’s okay. It’s been really frightening.
‘The surgery was really scary because they weren’t sure if she was going to walk again. But it went well and she’s going to be fine so that’s a big relief. They’re making us feel positive.’
Mr Ferreira, 31, from Portugal added: ‘She has ten pins in the back and she had surgery on her thigh bone.
‘The bone in her leg, because it was broken, she had metal and screws in there. She broke her chest bone. Her lung was cut. They said she will be in hospital for a least 12 weeks.
‘We’re staying positive that she will fully recover. She was taking the bin out at work when suddenly something hit her.
‘She went silent. I hung up thinking she must be talking to someone. Around 40 minutes later someone called me saying she was seriously injured as she had been hit in the head.’
Last night Miss Butkeviciut told The Sun: ‘I’m broken in pieces. I can’t even give my boyfriend a hug any more.
‘I’m not the kind of person who curls up in a ball and cries about things. This horrible thing has happened to me and I’m going to deal with it. I’m definitely going to walk again. I’m going to get back to normal as soon as I can.’
Mr Ferreira said: ‘I am really thankful to everyone who came to help her. Her recovery is going to be hard but I will be right by her side.’
Miss Butkeviciut, who is Lithuanian, has worked at Nailco for four months.
She had gone out into the yard at the rear of the shop to put some rubbish out and call Mr Ferreira when the sofa fell from a roof immediately above her.
The man who came to her aid, who has asked not to be named, said: ‘I heard a lass screaming so called 999. I had to tell them three times that a sofa had fallen on top of her because they found it so hard to believe.’
Nailco’s manager Gemma Ritchie said: ‘I was off when it happened but as soon as I found out I drove straight to the hospital. Edita is such a strong person, she’s mentally tough and has been saying “now I can get better”.’
A Police Scotland spokesman said: ‘Police have charged two men aged 31 and 26 after a 30year-old woman was injured by a sofa that was allegedly thrown from a building in the city centre. A report has been submitted to the procurator fiscal.’