A PENSIONER was left “shaking” after a metal beam from the ceiling of a car park collapsed onto her car.
Lynda Levy, 75, was driving out of the Asda car park at the Eastgate Shopping Centre, in Basildon town centre, when the piece of metal fell from the roof and struck her car.
The “scary” incident left a large dent as well as a series of scratches on Lynda’s car but she fears it could have been much worse if it smashed her windscreen.
Lynda stated she immediately went into Asda to tell staff but claims she has had “no communication” from the supermarket since.
The woman, from Wickford, said: “It just fell down and came out of nowhere. It really scared me.
“I was sat in the car and thought ‘oh my god, what have I just hit?’. At first, I didn’t realise what had happened.
“I heard it hit the car and I thought the aerial had maybe hit the roof or something. It was strange, but I couldn’t see anything around me in the mirrors so I got out of the car and was really shaken up and saw it had damaged my bonnet.
“I had to sit down for a little while and I couldn’t get out of the car because I was shaking. It was scary really.”
'Attacked'
She is now waiting on quotes for repair work and is worried about facing a hefty repair bill which she may have to claim on her car insurance.
“I don’t go to Basildon often and I didn’t expect to get attacked by the ceiling,” Lynda said.
“It’s just not what you expect to happen when you go into a car park; you don’t expect a part of the roof to fall down. If it was heavier it would’ve gone straight through the windscreen.”
Lynda had made a point of parking as close to the supermarket as possible because her arthritis means she struggles to walk far.
She alerted staff in the store to what had happened at the time but claims to have had no further contact with Asda.
A spokesman for Eastgate Shopping Centre confirmed the car park is not its responsibility.
Asda was approached for comment by the Echo.
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