Council bosses have issued an update after the tragic case of a retired primary school teacher who died 18 months after she tripped on a raised pavement water grid. The Manchester Evening News understands, however, there are no current plans to lower the grid's height despite calls from Liz Taylor's family.
Grandmother-of-three Mrs Taylor, who was 68, died in May this year 18 months after she stumbled over the water main stop cover as she walked with her husband, Arthur, on Craiglands in Balderstone, Rochdale, near their home. Married for 46 years, they were on their daily walk during the coronavirus lockdown at the time in October, 2020.
Mrs Taylor, who taught at Deeplish Primary School in Rochdale before she retired, went home but fell ill and was rushed to hospital later the same night. She had emergency brain surgery at Salford Royal Hospital the following day - and her family were told she might not survive.
She did, but never fully recovered, and sadly passed away in hospital after being admitted from a nursing home on May 4 this year. Her daughter, Helen Wild, 38, spoke out over the grid's height after a coroner at an inquest found a link between her mother's death and the fall.
At an inquest held at Rochdale coroners' court on August 2, area coroner Catherine McKenna recorded a conclusion that Mrs Taylor, who lived on nearby Hurst Meadow, 'died from complications which arose following an injury sustained in a fall', saying she 'sustained a traumatic subdural haematoma when she fell whilst walking near her home'.
The family, in a statement to the coroners' court ahead of the inquest, said she tripped over a water main stop cover 'protruding' from the floor.
Mrs Wild told how she contacted the council after the fall to complain the grid should be lowered, but was told its height didn't meet 'investigatory levels' set out in highways safety policies. The grid remains exactly the same now.
The family claimed they were told by the council the water main stop cover was just two millimetres short of being too high off the pavement to qualify to be altered under its inspection regulations.
Council bosses have now confirmed a claim from the family was investigated and a response 'rejecting any liability' was sent to their solicitors. Rochdale council said it routinely inspects highways and pavements to ensure they comply with safety standards and carries out repairs if needed.
In a statement, a council spokesman told the Manchester Evening News : "We were very sorry to learn of Mrs Taylor's death and our thoughts are with her family. A claim from the family was investigated and in April 2021 a response rejecting any liability was provided to their legal representatives.
"In June 2021 the council was advised that the claimant's solicitors were closing their file. The council routinely inspects highways and pavements to ensure they comply with safety standards and carries out repairs as and when they are required."
Mrs Wild said: "Two years ago our lives changed forever. If we cannot get it fixed or altered we just want to let people know it is there so it does not happen to anyone else. We do not want money. We just want it fixed.
"We want this to be changed because we do not want anyone else to fall in this way."
The family said they went on to contact councillors and MPs, but were told risk assessments deemed the height of the grid to be within acceptable safety parameters.
"We have tried legal action and MPs and councillors, but we can't get the grid fixed," Mrs Wild said. "We don't want anyone else to suffer as we have done. Not for the sake of a tiny grid. We want people now to be aware of where it is."
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