A car with its driver fell six stories in Melbourne CBD on Monday, after it drove through the safety rail at a car park off Anthony Street, between Elizabeth and Queen Streets.
Despite the huge fall, the driver, a 41-year-old woman, was found alive, hanging sideways from her seatbelt. The car fell into the side of the building opposite before falling to the ground at the bottom of the small laneway, with only 30 centimeters to spare on either side in the narrow alley.
According to the police, the car crashed through the steel beam and cyclone wire barrier. An investigation would consider whether the railings on the upper storeys of the car park were adequate for their job.
This is not the first time that such an accident has taken place. It is very concerning that Australian Standards for the Design of Off-Street Car Parks do not address these issues and whatever civil or construction engineering principles do exist are obviously not working