A heartbroken dad hopes safety reforms for multi-storey car parks can be implemented to ensure his teenage son's death was not in vain.
Maria Eagle, Labour MP for Garston and Halewood, fought back tears as she proposed Gabe's Law to the House of Commons in memory of Gabriel Santer. The 15-year-old died after falling from the open roof of a multi-storey car park in Liverpool city centre in October 2020. An open verdict was returned at the Calderstones student's inquest.
Ms Eagle told the Commons yesterday afternoon: "Gabe’s father, my constituent Jonny Santer, is determined to ensure that Gabe’s death will not be in vain. He wants to make sure that no other person finds it so shockingly easily possible to fall from an open-roofed multi-storey car park. I want to help him achieve that aim."
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Ms Eagle said the bill would save lives and stop other families experiencing the pain Mr Santer is currently feeling. Mr Santer added: "Gabe’s life was tragically cut short by a fall from an open roof multi-storey car park. Nothing will ever be the same again.
"I support this Bill because Gabe’s death could have been prevented. It’s clear these wholly inadequate current building regulations must be overhauled and I know that other families across the country will be impacted by this too. I implore the Government to pass Gabe’s law so that no other family, friend, or someone in the wider community is impacted by this again."
MPs were told it is unclear how many people die after falling from car parks, with Ms Eagle noting newspaper reports showed there were at least 17 deaths in England in a 12-month period in 2022.
The MP's proposals seek to "substantially" increase the legal minimum height of barriers on top of car parks from the current level of 1.1 metres. Her Multi-Storey Car Parks (Safety) Bill would also require such sites to be staffed 24 hours a day.
Ms Eagle told the Commons: "If Mr Santer is to achieve his goal of ensuring that Gabriel did not die in vain and that some good can come out of this terrible tragedy, then the law must be changed and it’s for us to do it." She added: “I think it’d be appropriate, should I receive permission to introduce such a Bill and the Bill receives royal assent, to refer to it as ‘Gabe’s Law’.”
Ms Eagle’s voice cracked with emotion as she concluded: "He was a fine young lad with so much promise who died too soon and so needlessly."
The MP asked for her Bill to receive a second reading on March 17. It is unlikely to become law in its current form due to a lack of parliamentary time.
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