A 94-year-old woman died after being crushed by a door at the sheltered housing block where she lived.
Neighbours claimed the fire door at the rear of the block had been damaged for more than a year, despite repeated complaints to management.
Friends described the elderly woman, as ?spritely? and ?fit and active? prior to the tragedy at Ellis Gordon Court in Elm Court, Newhaven, on March 19.
Her death is now being investigated.
The daughter of another resident in the block said: ?The door had been broken for a while. There was a sticker on it for ages telling people to make sure they shut it properly.
?There were also workmen up on the roof.
?Then it was off the hinges when it fell on her.
?She went out to put her bin out and must have pulled it and it fell down on her. It?s really upsetting. So, so sad. My mum was good friends with her and she was a lovely lady. She was completely fit and healthy before this.
?It is very worrying because there are a lot of children who come to visit their grandparents here and obviously the worst possible outcome has happened.?
Another resident said: ?It is a warden-assisted home and the warden had been told several times about the damaged door.
?The door has fallen down on to her, but it had been damaged like that for ages.
?She was in her 90s but there was nothing wrong with her.
?The heavy door just fell on to her and crushed her.? A spokesman for South East Coast Ambulance Service said: ?We were called to Elm Court, Newhaven, just after 7.40pm.
?We were called to the car park where the lady had been brought out by other residents.
?An ambulance car, paramedics and an ambulance attended the scene.
?The woman received treatment at the scene and was then taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital with a head injury.
?She was taken in as a priority case.?
Despite efforts to save her life, she later died in hospital.
Management of the block said the pensioner?s death was being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive.
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