Stepdaughter wants safety measures at spot of fatal Littlehampton accident

Ian Mayo, 73, was cycling along the promenade on Sunday, May 24, when he fell off his bike at Arun Parade near Harbour Park shortly before midday.

He did not see a step down in the paving until it was too late and flipped over, landing on his head.

Despite the best efforts of paramedics and hospital staff, he later passed away.

Barbara Child called on Arun District Council to put up railings and signs to make sure it did not happen again.

She said: “Having visited the area he came off since, the step down is not easy to see at all – and very dangerous.

“From a sad unavoidable death, hard enough to deal with, my mum now has the added mixed feelings knowing her husband would still be with her had this bit of promenade been safe.

“This is a very busy bit of promenade: kids on scooters, bikes, wheelchair users. I want to raise awareness on how unsafe this area is – and stop any further tragedies from occuring.”

Following an article in last week’s Gazette, Barbara spoke to Chloe Turner who gave CPR to Ian at the scene – giving the family time to say goodbye – and Jason Chambers, a bystander who called 999. The 34-year-old echoed Barbara’s call for railings there. “To lose your husband or dad from a 30cm drop – it’s harsh,” he said.

Ian’s family wanted to speak to them for closure, hoping to find out whether he had a heart attack that caused the accident, or whether it happened after. But learning that he appeared well before the fall has led to more hurt for the family, particularly Ian’s widow Christine.

Barbara said: “Having Chloe and Jason come forward to give us closure regarding Ian’s final conscious moments was lovely on one hand – to know he was not alone and had people try so hard to help him – and have someone holding his hand until the ambulance arrived was really comforting.

“But finding out Ian showed no signs of a heart attack as he approached the step down in the paving on that promenade, and that he tried to turn to avoid it when he saw it – but it was too late – causing him to come off the bike is both heart breaking and infuriating.”

An Arun District Council spokesman said: “We were saddened to learn about this incident and our sincere condolences go to the loved ones of the gentleman involved. We are unable to comment further at this time as the matter is under investigation but can confirm that Arun District Council is responsible for the promenade.”