Car park fall: 'Blood spurted out of me'

Lili Stanley, of Mosgiel, sustained injuries when she tripped in the undulating Dowling St car park on New Year's Eve

A bruised and bleeding Mosgiel woman blames the Dunedin City Council for her seeing in the new year at Dunedin Hospital.

Lili Stanley, 74, said she was in the Octagon on New Year's Eve with her husband Trevor to watch the fireworks.

The music was too loud for the Mosgiel couple, who were not drinking, so they returned to the Dowling St car park intending to drive home.

Mrs Stanley said when she walked across the car park in flat shoes, she stepped in a large hole and stumbled and fell, injuring her face.

"I stood up and the blood spurted out of me."

Mrs Stanley said she was wearing leather gloves and a big coat, otherwise the injuries would have been worse.

Her husband drove her to the accident and emergency department at Dunedin Hospital, where she rang in the New Year while her "slight concussion" was monitored for more than two hours.

She warned people about the damage that could be sustained in the Dunedin City Council car park.

Mrs Stanley said the council should be ashamed of the condition of the car park and the level of negligence with its maintenance.

Council Citifleet team leader Brent Bachop said despite the Dowling St car park being "up and down", the council spent more money maintaining it than any other council car park.

Mr Bachop said the car park was undulating because it was built on the site of a former building.

"Years and years ago there was a building there and when they demolished it, they just dropped it and built a car park on top of it and that is why it is constantly sinking."

More maintenance would not stop the car park sinking, he said.

"You can throw a lot of money at that car park and it's still going to keep moving, unfortunately."

The council regularly monitored the car park and "patched it up" when required, Mr Bachop said.