Botched repair job blamed for mishap

A woman was lucky to escape serious injury after her leg plunged to the thigh through an upstairs floor at Aberdeen Steakhouse & Bar in Masterton.

Bridgette Richardson had been part of a dance fitness rally in a top storey room at the Chapel St restaurant on Friday night that was raising funds for the New Zealand Cancer Society Relay for Life.

Her husband Mark Richardson said about 40 people had been involved in the charity Zumba session and his wife had been holding their 6-month-old son Connor only moments before her left leg plunged through a badly repaired length of floorboard.

He said the repaired board did not run from joist to joist and the couple fear there may be other areas in the room that could be dangerous.

"She had just passed Connor to another son and a new song had started and her leg just disappeared into the floor. She's just so lucky she wasn't holding Connor when it happened and that she didn't fall all the way through."

He said his wife's leg had been left dangling above a fully set table directly below and any diners who may have been in the restaurant at the time.

Mr Richardson said his wife suffered severe bruising to her leg during the fall and X-ray examinations and blood tests at Wairarapa Hospital had failed to find further injuries.

She had been in pain and "laid up" for the weekend, Mr Richardson said, and had not yet been cleared to return to work.

A restaurant spokesperson had told the couple the Wellington co-owner of the restaurant, John Apanowicz, held responsibility for the repair at the centre of the incident. He could not be reached for comment.