Vrou's two hour drain pain
|Published
Macy has a torn ligament in her ankle after she fell into a drain. Picture supplied Macy has a torn ligament in her ankle after she fell into a drain. Picture supplied
A 48-year-old mom is in agony after a drain cover crumbled under her leg, leaving her trapped in the storm drain for two hours.
Macy Stassen from Goodwood was discharged from hospital on Tuesday and is recovering at home, but the family wants the City of Cape Town to pay up.
She was returning from the shops with her 69-year-old mother and was getting out of a taxi at their Wallace Street home when she stepped on the concrete drain cover and fell through.
Macy’s right leg, from ankle to knee, was stuck for more than two hours and firefighters took nearly an hour to cut her free.
She was then rushed to Karl Bremer Hospital where she was kept until Tuesday afternoon.
Macy has a torn ligament in her right ankle and is in a lot of pain.
The drain Macy fell into. Picture supplied
The Daily Voice spoke to Macy’s son, Shane, who says his birthday was ruined because of the City of Cape Town’s negligence.
He explains: “She got out of the Taxify taxi and turned to help my grandmother climb out. She took a step and the drain cover just split under her foot.
“She was in so much pain when I got downstairs. We called emergency services because we could not get her out.
“It was my birthday on Monday and it was ruined because my mother was hurt unnecessarily. I’m taking this further.
“The City needs to take responsibility for their negligence. This kind of thing should not happen.”
Firefighters attending to Macy. Picture supplied
Macy says: “It could have been worse, but I am lucky my leg did not shatter when the cover crumbled.”
The City’s Felicity Purchase said staff from the City’s Transport Directorate did a site inspection at the entrance to Macy’s Mark Heights block of flats on Tuesday and “a maintenance team replaced the gully grid immediately”.
“The inspection revealed that the grid broke as a result of the concrete, around parts of the steel that had eroded over time,” she said.
“The City received this service request for the first time on 30 July 2019 at 9.03am. The City was not aware of this broken gully grid prior to receiving this complaint.”
Macy has a torn ligament in her ankle. Picture supplied
Mayco Member for Water and Waste, Councillor Xanthea Limberg, says: “Claims for damages can be submitted by completing the public liability claim form and submitting all supporting documents, in writing, to the City of Cape Town’s Claims Section.
“Alternatively, the resident can use the insurance claim form available on the City’s website.