Billboard plunges 20ft to trap woman ... but she survives
A WOMAN survived being crushed by a one-ton billboard yesterday.
She was pinned to the pavement by the giant advertising sign that toppled 20ft from a wall. Her neighbours say they heard a ‘thunderous noise’ and then her screaming: ‘Oh my God, my feet, I can’t move my feet.’
The victim was also hit by falling bricks and masonry. Although badly injured, she was able to talk to passers-by while they waited for the emergency services.
One eyewitness, who did not want to be named, said: ‘It was a miracle, it didn’t even look like there was any bleeding.
She’s lucky to be alive. She was a young, pretty lady, who was dressed smart like she was going to work. She was a brave woman, she wasn’t really crying. She just kept asking: “What happened?”’ Mary Dervishe, who lives opposite the scene of the incident in Tooting, south London, said: ‘I heard a big crash so I ran outside. Then I heard a woman screaming: “Oh my God, my feet, I can’t move my feet”.’
The woman, who is in her 30s, was taken to nearby St Georges Hospital where her injuries were not said to be life-threatening.
Residents say the sign, which had been up only a few days, did not appear to have been fixed properly. It is thought that bollards anchored in the pavement may have protected the woman from its full weight. A spokesman for Clear Channel, which owns the electronic 10ft by 20ft sign, said: ‘Our thoughts are with the woman who was injured.
‘Our staff are attending the scene and we have launched a thorough investigation into the incident. Until we have established the facts around the incident, we cannot comment further.’
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said paramedics were called out at 7.33am to treat a woman with leg and hip injuries.