Tom Minks, a 27-year-old from Allerton, survived a fall from the Liverpool Central Village multi-storey car park on Renshaw Street, thanks to the quick actions of relatives of a young man who had died falling from the same structure just weeks earlier. The incident has renewed calls for new safety laws covering multi-storey car parks.
Josh Perry was 21 when he died after falling from the car park on March 14 last year. Just three weeks later, on April 4, Tom also fell from the same car park onto the ground below. He was saved by Josh's family and friends, who were at the site paying their respects.
A Tragic Twist of Fate
Josh's cousin Madison, her fiancé Callum, and Josh's former partner Lillie were laying flowers and tributes at the car park where Josh had died. They saw Tom entering the car park and immediately noticed something was wrong.
Tom's father Dale told the ECHO: "Josh's relatives were laying tributes where he had died a few weeks before. They saw Tom walking in and could tell from his demeanour that he wasn't well and wasn't going to collect a car."
"Callum ran after him to try and stop him, but he took the lift and Tom had walked up the vehicle ramps, so they didn't meet. The next thing the group saw was Tom's feet poking out between some cars next to the car park. Tom was lying on the floor, seriously injured."
Life-Saving Actions
Tom has a history of mental health issues. Prior to his fall, he had been living in supported accommodation, but his family say he was being bullied and taken advantage of, leading him to feel depressed and anxious.
Josh's relatives acted quickly, calling emergency services while protecting Tom from people trying to drive past and others attempting to take pictures. Dale said: "These young people, who had so recently lost someone at that same car park, were amazing. If they hadn't done what they did for Tom, I don't think he would be alive today. They are why he is still with us."
Tom suffered severe injuries, including breaking most of the major bones in his body, shattering both legs, and a brain injury. He spent seven months in hospital and now lives in a specialist brain rehabilitation facility in Ellesmere Port. He told the ECHO: "They were very nice, really nice people. They saved my life. One of their boyfriends died falling from the same car park just two floors above me weeks before."
Calls for Gabe's Law
Tom and his family have met with Madison, Lillie, and Callum numerous times to thank them. The three young people were recommended for an award from the Royal Humane Society, which they are due to pick up this week.
The ECHO has been campaigning for a change in the law alongside Johnny Santer, whose 15-year-old son Gabriel died after falling from the Q Park multi-storey in Hanover Street in October 2020. The Minks and Perry families are calling for Gabe's Law, which would increase the legal minimum height of barriers on multi-storey car parks from 1.1m to 2.7m and mandate 24-hour security or on-site personnel.
Johnny told the ECHO: "It is heart-breaking, because every single one of these deaths is preventable." He added: "The operators will say they are legal so they aren't doing anything wrong, but we are saying they aren't doing anything right. If these deaths keep on happening, what is the societal cost of that? What is this doing to our communities? This is a public health issue."
The Liverpool Central Village car park was also the scene of a woman's death in March 2023. The ECHO contacted operator ParkBee, which said it has no comment at this time. Johnny is supported by his MP Maria Eagle, who recently reintroduced the Multi-Storey Car Parks (Safety) Bill into the House of Commons. She explained the bill would increase the height of guarding, retrofit existing car parks, and require staffing to ensure people can be seen if there is an issue.
