Woman who fell through Blackpool’s Central Pier ‘required surgery after suffering spinal injuries’

A woman in her 50s fell through the pier, landing on the beach below, at around 4.30pm on Tuesday.

Police, paramedics, firefighters and the coastguard rushed to the scene and a cordon was put in place underneath the pier.

The woman received initial treatment for her injuries before being extricated and taken to the hospital.

Stephen Taylor, a friend of the woman, has since set up a GoFundMe to support the woman and her family.

More than £3,100 had been raised with 129 donations as of Friday evening.

Mr Taylor said that the woman had recently lost her husband to sepsis and has two children to support.

Sign up for our free newsletters now

He said: “She is currently in hospital having surgery for spinal injuries and broken elbow.

“The loss of their father has been devastating. He was also in his 50s. It seems so much for one family.

“They were on a fun day out in Blackpool. Just queuing. They have had the worst of times. Clearly this won’t fix the situation but maybe the future can be a little bit brighter with support.”

Blackpool Council confirmed they had launched an investigation and requested support from the Health and Safety Executive following the incident.

They also said the pier would remain closed “until a survey on the structural integrity of the decking has been completed”.

“The current situation is that the pier will remain closed until a survey on the structural integrity of the decking has been completed along with any suggested remedial works, and the report passed to Blackpool Council’s Health and Safety Team,” a spokesman for Blackpool Council said.

“We will also be visiting the site to check that everything is satisfactory and then will allow the pier to reopen although the exact timing of that cannot be confirmed as yet.”

They also stated “arrangements for the same structural survey of the decking of the other two piers have already been made and the relevant reports will also be passed to the Blackpool Council team.”

Onlookers said it looked as though she had fallen through a ‘trap door’ in the boards close to the café.

The arcade at the front of the pier reopened at around 6pm as the cordon was lifted. The rest of the pier remained closed to visitors.

Blackpool Pier Company, which runs Central Pier, later released a statement wishing the woman “speedy recovery”.

“Following yesterday’s incident at Central Pier, we are working with the Local Authority and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage,” a spokesman said.

“Our thoughts remain with the person involved, and we wish her a speedy recovery.”

To donate to the GoFundMe page, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/x3a8d8-family-support.