“I fell out of my wheelchair and spent 23 hours on the floor before the fire department rescued me”

A disabled man claims he spent 23 hours on the floor after falling from his wheelchair in an “unsuitable” third-floor flat he was placed in by a south London council. Nathan Rollinson, 33, was unable to eat or use the toilet as he waited overnight for emergency services to find a way to evacuate him from the property in Clapham, south London, at the end of June.

Firefighters had to lift Mr Rollinson over the balcony of the flat to remove him from the property as a lift in the building run by Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH) was not working. He was treated in hospital for spinal problems, kidney damage and a blood clot in his lungs following the evacuation.

Speaking about his fall on June 28, Mr Rollinson said: “I had to crawl out from under the wheelchair. He’s about 160kg, so it wasn’t easy. I couldn’t reach the phone so I had to drag myself to the floor. I didn’t eat during that time. I couldn’t go to the toilet. I had to resist. The only safe way (for an escape) was the fire elevator and the fire elevator was broken. They had to make an unsafe escape (over the balcony).”

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Mr Rollinson has been a wheelchair user since suffering brain and spinal injuries in a rugby accident last year. He claimed the ordeal would never have happened if Lambeth Council’s adult welfare team had placed him in a more suitable property to begin with.

Mr Rollinson said: “It was not suitable for a wheelchair. It was impossible to use the bathroom and I couldn’t use the kitchen. There was not enough space for them (emergency services) to do anything.”

Mr Rollinson has left hospital and is staying at a central London hotel while he waits for the council to find him a wheelchair accessible property where he can continue his recovery.

Lambeth Council said it was “sorry” to hear of the difficulties Mr Rollinson is experiencing due to the faulty lift at the MTVH property and said it was offering him extra support, including with his living situation.

A council spokesman added: “We have offered Mr Rollinson long-term support. The property was offered to him because of his apparent vulnerability and thus he could be fully assessed. He accepted the offer and an occupational therapist found the apartment suitable for him, with support. We remain committed to providing continued support (to Mr. Rollinson).

MTVH said it was “concerned” at the distress caused to Mr Rollinson by the broken lift and said it sent someone to investigate within an hour of being told about the problem. The housing association confirmed the lift had been repaired by July 2 – four days after Mr Rollinson’s fall.

A spokesman added: “Due to the complexity of the issue, a specialist technician was required which was the reason for the delay… During the period the lift was down we introduced a physical ‘watch’ presence to provide reassurance to residents that a team was on site to support them should the building require an evacuation.”

London Fire Brigade (LFB) said firefighters were called to an incident on Wakeford Close, Clapham, on June 29 at 3.24pm. A spokesman said a 32-metre turntable ladder was used to remove one person from a third-floor balcony. Firefighters left the scene at 6:53 p.m.

London Ambulance Service declined to comment, citing patient confidentiality.

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