Shock as fall leaves shop owner critically ill
THE owner of a hardware shop is in a critical condition in hospital after a fall whilst working caused him to sustain serious head injuries.
Andrew Jenkins, who runs Neath Hardware with his daughter Louise Jenkins, fell off scaffolding whilst out on a job in Swansea constructing a summer house at around 3pm on Tuesday, April 6.
The owners of the house he was working on tried to call for an ambulance but Mr Jenkins felt well enough to be taken home.
It was while he was at home that his family noticed his condition was deteriorating.
His family called the ambulance service, who made the decision that he had to be airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff immediately.
The air ambulance initially tried to land at Cimla Common, but could not do so due to adverse weather, so Mr Jenkins was driven by land ambulance to Morriston Hospital and flown from there.
The 58-year-old, from Neath, underwent six hours of surgery and was found to have a blood clot on the brain, which was removed, but he still remains in a critical but stable condition.
Efforts are being made to reduce his blood pressure.
Louise said: “As a family we are just in utter shock. We can’t believe it. He is always so busy and has worked from the age of 15. Myself and my dad have run this store for the last 13 years. He is always working seven days a week and loves spending time with us, his daughters and his grandchildren.
“We have had a lot of people phoning up and people coming in with cards sending well wishes for him, which is lovely to see how well liked and respected he is.
“We know that he is receiving the best possible care as the doctors keep us updated with his progress. We cannot visit him so at the moment it is a case of waiting to receive a telephone call from the hospital.”
The Neath Hardware store on Windsor Road
closed for a couple of days following the incident, but Louise has now decided to reopen, knowing her dad would have “hated to see his beloved shop with closed doors”.
It will be open from 9am until 2.45pm for the foreseeable future, during which time delivery services will temporarily be unavailable.
A message on the shop’s
Facebook page read: “The family would like to thank everyone for their support during this difficult time and invite you to keep Andrew in your thoughts as he is in ours.”