Mum trapped after wheelchair fall blasts Birmingham anti-terror bollards

A mother was left trapped after falling from her wheelchair while trying to navigate temporary anti-terror bollards near Birmingham New Street station. The incident occurred on Wednesday, June 3, at approximately 9:30 am on Lower Temple Street, where an unsecured panel on a Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) bollard caused her wheelchair to tip backwards.

Wheelchair user's ordeal

The 46-year-old mother, who asked not to be named, was with her seven-year-old daughter when she fell. She suffered neck and back pain and could only right herself with the help of a passer-by. She told BirminghamLive: "As I was going up it moved as it was not secured, so the wheelchair tipped straight backwards. If the barriers hadn't been there, I might have been able to lift up the side arm of the wheelchair and roll out. But as the barriers were there I was completely trapped."

Criticism of council's accessibility

The mother, from Walsall, accused Birmingham City Council of making parts of the city centre no-go zones for disabled people due to the number of ramps. She said: "All around Birmingham they've been putting ramps. As I went up it it was loose and not properly secured on the ground and very steep." She noted that even with her all-terrain wheelchair, she struggled, adding: "There's no way an older person pushing a partner around could do the ramps. Birmingham Council is making more and more places inaccessible."

—

Wide Pickt banner — collaborative shopping lists app for Telegram, phone mockup with grocery list

Council's response

A Birmingham City Council spokesman expressed sadness over the incident and encouraged the woman to contact them directly for investigation. The spokesman said: "Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) measures are installed in the city centre to help keep the public safe. The temporary HVM measures on New Street and Lower Temple Street are used in many areas of the UK, not just in Birmingham. They are a tested and compliant product built to national standards." The council added that permanent bollards, which would not feature a ramp, are approved for installation, along with a continuous level pedestrian route and improved lighting.