Horsham woman’s ‘nightmare’ ordeal as she ends shopping trip trapped in a lift

A Horsham woman has spoken of her ‘nightmare’ ordeal after she ended up trapped in a shopping centre lift.
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Maria Prince, 72, said she was looking forward to enjoying a trip to Swan Walk Shopping centre but her day out ended in disaster.

She added: “On Thursday, April 15, I was looking forward to a stroll through Swan Walk and the now open shops.

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“What would have been a pleasant experience turned into a nightmare.”

Swan Walk Shopping Centre, Horsham. Pic Steve Robards SR2104061 SUS-210604-130114001Swan Walk Shopping Centre, Horsham. Pic Steve Robards SR2104061 SUS-210604-130114001
Swan Walk Shopping Centre, Horsham. Pic Steve Robards SR2104061 SUS-210604-130114001

The Horsham woman said she got in the lift to go up to the second floor but after the doors closed she became trapped between level one and two.

She added: “The doors kept opening and closing and nothing else happened.

“Trying not to panic, I contacted security and was told that he would contact the engineers. However, he did not know how long that would take.”

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Time passed very slowly in the lift, said Maria, who suffers from fibromyalgia.

She added: “I am 72-years-old and have fibromyalgia with chronic pain and fatigue. After 20 minutes my legs and back began to ache more and more.”

Maria said she tried to sit on the floor but it was uncomfortable and ‘covered in bacteria’.

She added: “By this time I was getting more and more anxious and contacted security again who told me that the engineer was on its way, to get me out.

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“Finally, after 40 minutes the engineer arrived and tried to open the door. I took him a further ten minutes before I was free to make my escape.”

Maria said she plans to avoid the centre’s lifts in future to avoid another ‘distressing’ encounter.

She added that she tried to reclaim her parking charge but was unable to get a refund.

Gill Buchanan, centre manager for Swan Walk Shopping Centre, said: “Swan Walk takes customer safety very seriously and we are aware of the incident on April 15.

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“Unfortunately issues with lifts do arise and we have to wait for an engineer to attend.

“I spoke to the customer shortly after the incident two weeks ago and was able to explain this and obviously apologised for the distress and inconvenience caused.

“We also offered to have to have her coat cleaned and are just waiting for this to be dropped off.”

Horsham District Council, which is responsible for the car park and the lifts, has been approached for comment.