Lift woe leaves cerebral palsy sufferer Carolanne trapped
A disabled woman was left trapped upstairs at her home because of a fault with her vertical lift.
Carolanne Rushton, who suffers with cerebral palsy and is wheelchair-bound, found herself stuck on the upper floor of her home in Malinslee, Telford, when a lift fitted by Telford & Wrekin Council's contractor Handicare broke and was not properly repaired for a month.
The 41-year-old lives with her parents Carol, 62, and Henry, 61. The pair said that when the lift broke their daughter was left without the independence to move around the house, as they were unable to move her up or down the stairs without the lift.
Council officials have apologised for the problems and said they have been in touch with the family to resolve the problem.
Carol said: "We've had trouble with the door on the lift since it was fitted six years ago. But about a month ago, my daughter got in the lift to come downstairs and it wouldn't work."
Mr and Mrs Rushton immediately called the council to get someone to come and fix the lift, but when the contractor arrived they were told it needed a new part and they would be unable to repair it until the part arrived.
"That meant my daughter was shut upstairs all weekend," said Carol. "We couldn't carry her down, my husband and I are in our 60s."
On the following Monday, the parts arrived and were fitted, but Mrs Rushton said the problems continued for weeks on end. She said: "We had someone out every week to sort out problems with the lift. It has been really distressing."
The lift has been working properly for the past 10 days after repairs were carried out, and the Rushton family hopes their problems are now behind them.
Carol said: "It gives her a bit of independence when she can go up and down and get into the garden.
"But when it is broken, she can be stuck either upstairs or downstairs."
Russell Griffin, a spokesman for Telford & Wrekin Council, said: "Telford & Wrekin Council offers a free maintenance contract for the vertical lift at the building via our contractor Handicare.
"Since March 28, the lift has been working on and off.
"We have been in touch with both the resident concerned and Handicare to keep them informed.
"We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused by the lift being out of order."
