An eyewitness has told of the horrifying aftermath he saw after a pedestrian was injured by a falling chimney outside a Tyneside takeaway.
The woman suffered a serious head injury in the incident, which happened on Ocean Road in South Shields on Saturday. Emergency services were called to the scene at around 4.15pm.
The casualty was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle by ambulance. She remains in hospital and her condition has now been described as "stable".
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Today one local business owner, who witnessed the incident has told of his horror. The man, who asked not to be named, said he saw the woman lying unconscious on the pavement.
"It was really really bad," he said. "There was blood everywhere. It was really scary. I've no idea what's happened to that person, I just hope she's going to be ok."
The man believes the woman had just been walking past the building when she was struck and knocked out.
"She was just walking past and around 10 or 15 bricks came from the chimney," he continued. "She was unconscious, then she woke up for a couple of seconds then the ambulance came. Her face had bruises everywhere.
"It was really upsetting for every body."
The witness said he believed the woman was in her early fifties and that someone had told him she was a grandmother.
A North East Ambulance Service spokeswoman confirmed yesterday that paramedics had taken the woman to hospital.
"We were called to a person injured in Ocean Road, South Shields, at 4.15pm," she said.
"We dispatched one ambulance crew, two crews from our Hazardous Area Response Team and a clinical team leader, and transported one patient to the RVI for further treatment."
A section of Ocean Road was closed for more than four hours while the emergency services dealt with the incident.
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said two fire engines, containing eight firefighters, were sent to the scene after being called at 4.15pm. They made sure the area was safe before the road reopened at around 8.30pm.
And a Northumbria Police spokesman said: "Emergency services attended and found a woman who had suffered a serious head injury after a chimney had fallen from a property.
"The woman has been taken to hospital her next of kin are aware."
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