An elderly woman ‘nearly died’ after tripping on a ‘wonky’ paving slab in Warwick. Lyn Bolton was found unconscious on Smith Street just before 9pm on Monday (March 30).
Lyn, 79, was making her way along Smith Street with her walking stick when she suddenly tripped. She fell to the ground and suffered serious injuries.
Couple Danny and Danielle Kelly found Lyn in a pool of blood and said they were ‘petrified’ to see her so badly injured. Bystanders rushed to her aid and dialled 999.
Recalling how he discovered Lyn, Danny said: “She was completely unconscious. She was murmuring. Blood was being coughed up from her mouth and was coming from her head wound.”
Paramedics quickly attended the scene and rushed Lyn to Warwick Hospital. Danny said: “Amazingly, Lyn sort of came around. She was getting back into how she was before the fall and I have never seen anything like it! It was a miraculous recovery from when we thought she was dying.”
Lyn believes her walking stick got caught in a ‘very wonky’ paving slab and catapulted her forward. Warwickshire County Council told CoventryLive that it has now been removed, and the area has been filled in and resurfaced.
Lyn suffered a fractured nose, fractured fingers and head injuries. She had previously been injured in a similar incident involving a paving slab on Church Street in October 2025.
She was rushed to A&E(Image: Lyn Bolton)
She said: “I am surprised that I got through it like I did. I am angry because this is not the first time it has happened. I am cross with Warwickshire County Council because the pavements in Warwick are shocking.”
Danny said: “It is amazing how fit and healthy she is after what could have been a near-death experience. If it had been down a different part of Warwick where there were no pedestrians, I think she would have definitely died.”
A spokesman for Warwickshire County Council said: “We are sorry to learn of the incident and reports of this nature are noted. It has already been inspected and made safe. We checked, and it was not present during the last routine inspection on March 13. More than likely, this has been caused by a delivery vehicle pulling illegally onto the footway.
“Pavements in Warwick are inspected monthly, and any defects identified are repaired within our published timescales. Additional inspections take place when issues are reported by the public. Defects can be reported at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/reportit or by calling 01926 412515.”
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