Shoppers witness Norwich shopping mall horror plunge

The women landed near the Santa's Grotto in The Mall Norwich

DAVID BALE

24 November 2009

A patient from Hellesdon Hospital jumped from the first floor at The Mall Norwich shopping centre yesterday, landing within feet of Santa's Grotto on the ground floor.

Eyewitnesses said the woman, who is in her early 20s, was seen to fall and then hit her head on one of the lower floors before landing within feet of startled shoppers.

She suffered ankle injuries, was treated by paramedics and was then taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

A Norfolk police spokeswoman said she was attended to by staff from Hellesdon Hospital and CCTV footage showed that no one else was involved.

One Lowestoft shopper, who did not wish to be named, said: "I witnessed the lady land, as we were just about 3ft away.

"My mother and I had just come out of the Early Learning Centre. It was really awful and it was a horrible thing to see.

"My mother saw the woman hit her head on a pillar as she fell from one of the upper floors."

Another eyewitness said: "I was on the escalator below, so I witnessed the woman fall.

"There was a lot of commotion with the security people before she actually fell, and it looked like she simply stepped off one of the floors above."

Shopping and trading continued in other parts of the city centre complex, with visitors apparently unaware of the drama unfolding around the corner.

Police community support officers and Mall security staff stopped and sealed off some of the escalators in the area to stop shoppers from coming across the distressing scene.

A spokeswoman for the East of England Ambulance Service said it was called to reports of a woman falling from a balcony at The Mall, and confirmed she was conveyed to the N&N with unknown injuries.

A Mall spokeswoman said: "This incident is being handled by the police and, therefore, unfortunately, we are unable to comment."

A Norfolk police spokesman said: "We were made aware that a female patient from Hellesdon Hospital jumped from the first floor near the post office. It happened at about 4.30pm."