Westfield responds after 'insane' car park footage of runaway trolleys emerges
The chaotic car park scene was captured on a driver's dashcam and shows how the crazy trolley incident unfolded.
Westfield staff are looking into a wild incident that occurred at a Sydney shopping centre over the weekend which saw a collection of trolleys rapidly and aggressively torment a driver who was looking for a spot to park.
Dashcam footage shows the male driver navigate his way up the car park ramp at Westfield Hornsby in Sydney's Upper North Shore on Sunday before eventually turning into a row of parking bays. But as he does, he's confronted with a "flood of trolleys" that begin rolling towards his car prompting the dad to jump into action.
A Westfield Hornsby spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia "the collection of trolleys is the responsibility of our business partners" but did not elaborate further on why the trolleys appeared abandoned in the car park. It's understood Woolworths, Coles and other independent stores are responsible for their trolley collection. They appeared to have been collected but not removed by staff.
The video footage captured the stacked trolleys picking up steam as they rolled uncontrollably down the car park's downward slope, rapidly approaching the front of the car. From within the vehicle, panic appeared to set in — presumably from his children who were in the back seat — as the father attempted to reverse out of harm's way.
However, despite his quick thinking and tactical manoeuvring the vehicle "suffered dents and scratches" his wife later revealed online, sharing footage of the incident. "Thank god my husband and kids are safe," she added.
Several shoppers then appear in the footage who began pulling the trolleys out of the way. The male driver also got out of his car to assess the damage to his vehicle. According to his wife, the man reported the incident to Westfield security who advised him to contact management. It's understood centre management is in contact with the family.
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Westfield responds to wild car park incident
In a statement to Yahoo, a Westfield Hornsby spokesperson said, "the safety of our customers, business partners and people is our highest priority."
"We have numerous trolley bays located throughout our centre car parks. The collection of trolleys is the responsibility of our business partners and we work closely with them to ensure this is done in a timely and efficient manner," they added.
Aussies react to 'insane' trolley scene
Witnessing the footage online, Aussies were shocked by the "careless" nature in which the trolleys were left.
"Thank goodness a young child wasn’t hit by the trollies. The outcome could have been very tragic. Laziness of the shoppers and proper protocol for the collection of the trollies, needs to be addressed," one fumed.
"All shops should switch to coin insert trollies like Aldi. This is insane," shared another.
Some took aim at the "poor car park design" in which the car park levels slope downwards, allowing the trolleys to roll. "Wouldn’t get away with that poor of a car park design these days for that very reason," one argued.
Dumped trolleys in shopping centre car parks are often a source of frustration for shoppers. In the past, many have urged Woolies and Coles to introduce a coin system like Aldi to help eliminate the problem of shoppers not returning them to bays.
Often trolleys are left in car spots meaning drivers are unable to park in them. This could be particularly frustrating in busy periods when car parks are full.
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