A MONMOUTH woman has spoken of her concerns after her 82-year-old mother was knocked unconscious by a falling car park barrier outside the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport.

Elizabeth and Trevor Morgan were walking back to their car after attending an appointment at the Royal Gwent Hospital when they were both struck on the head by a falling car park barrier which had previously been hidden by a lamp post.

Their daughter Kelly, who spoke to the Beacon, said Trevor was knocked sideways but Elizabeth took the blow directly to the head and was knocked unconscious.

A car park attendant was quickly on the scene and helped Elizabeth into a wheelchair, taking her to the nearby Accident and Emergency department, but on arrival into the busy waiting area she was left waiting in a wheelchair for one-and-a-half hours - told that there were 56 people waiting to be seen in front of her.

After being told by hospital staff it could take a number of hours for her to be seen, Trevor drove the couple home to Monmouth.

“We went to our GP the following day and were told she should have been seen immediately,” Kelly told the Beacon.

“We were told ‘why are you sitting down?’. There were 21 people in front of her but she was seen straight away for a CT scan.”

Fortunately there were no signs of bleeding on the brain, but Elizabeth was left with a large lump on her head and has two black eyes after the impact.

The event has caused concern, particularly when considering a similar incident at Cheltenham General Hospital in 2009, when a 79-year-old woman died after being struck on the head by a falling car park barrier.

A spokesman for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said: “We’re very sorry to hear about this incident and we wish Mrs Morgan a speedy recovery.

“We are looking into this matter urgently and would ask Mrs Morgan’s family to contact us so we can investigate further.”