Hartest woman praises those who helped her after she fell and shattered her elbow in a Bury St Edmunds car park

A woman who fell and shattered her elbow in an icy Bury St Edmunds car park has praised the people who came to her aid but said she wouldn’t have fallen if the area had been gritted.

After picking up her prescription glasses in the town on December 6, Jeanie Kemp, 74, of Hartest, was returning to her car when she slipped on ice and fell.

There had been a particularly cold snap the day before and the car park had become hazardous but Mrs Kemp said the area had not been gritted.

Mrs Kemp said: “Just as I was walking through the parked cars, I went right up in the air and came down on my elbow. The man looking after the car park was very concerned and came running over.

“I was in agony, it was really hurting. Lots of nice people kept coming and giving me blankets and cushions and stuff.

“I’ll be grateful all my life to those who helped me.”

Two women who said they were nurses stayed with Mrs Kemp, called her husband and called for an ambulance. One of the women even sat behind her so that her back wouldn’t get cold.

The ambulance arrived within an hour and a half and Mrs Kemp said even the paramedics struggled to get to her on foot with the icy conditions.

She spent a night in West Suffolk Hospital and was then sent home for 10 days to await the metal parts needed to fix her elbow. After a six-hour operation, she was fitted with a new metal elbow joint.

Mrs Kemp is now recovering at home and is still in some pain.

She added: “All this money has been spent on this elbow – the ambulance, the X-rays, the scans, the medication, the equipment, and the knowledgeable people – all this could have been saved for the sake of a sack of grit in the car park.”

A West Council spokesperson said: “As a local authority, we take our responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of all users, residents and visitors of all our facilities very seriously.

“With this as a consideration, we have an agreement with a contractor to grit our car parks in response to the red weather warnings issued through The Met Office.

“On December 6 2023, a warning was in place for freezing temperatures and icy conditions in some parts of West Suffolk but not, Bury St Edmunds and our contractor gritted the car parks where the warning was in place. We wish Mrs Kemp well and a speedy recovery.”