Pensioner: Compensate me or pay medical bills

A PENSIONER who claims she suffered injuries at a mall in North Trinidad, is calling on management of the mall to either compensate her or pay her medical bills.

Yvonne Richard Pascall, 68, visited Newsday’s Port of Spain office last Friday to give her story on the incident which she said happened on May 24.

“I was walking around the mall while I was making up time for a 10.30 am appointment with a eye care company in the mall. I saw a clothing store and decided to head into it. Not noticing that they were closed and there was a glass door, I walked straight into it, hitting my head very hard.

Pascall said a janitor who was mopping nearby came to her aid while the mall manager was contacted and that person later took her name and telephone number. An ambulance was summoned and Pascall was taken to the Arima Hospital.

“I was promised by the mall manager that she would call me. To this day, I never got even one phone call from her or the owner of the store where the accident took place.”

After several visits to her doctor, Pascall said she was told to have a CT (computerised tomography) scan and an ECG (electrocardiogram) test. “I am a pensioner and I simply cannot afford these tests. This incident took place in May, almost five months ago and it’s like they have forgotten me,” Pascall said as she asked where was the mall management’s compassion.

She said that on May 31, she had to be taken to Mt Hope Hospital after experiencing severe head, neck and back pain. On June 11, during a visit to the Maloney Clinic, she was referred to a neurologist at Mt Hope.

“They said I would get a date within six to eight weeks, but to date no one has called. The dizziness hinders me from carrying out my daily activities, which I was able to do quite comfortably before May 24. I have tried several times to get in contact with the mall manager via telephone, but I was informed she is on vacation.”

A staff member of the clothing store, when contacted by Newsday, referred the issue to the manager of the mall saying the mall was handling the issue. When Newsday attempted to get a comment from the mall management, we were told that she was not in office and was making a tour of the mall at the time. Repeated efforts to reach the manager proved futile.