Janet Faal , who has suffered from agoraphobia for a decade , fell down an uncovered manhole . An agoraphobic grandmother who conquered her fear of open spaces and left home for the third time in 10 years only to fall down a manhole . Janet Faal , 57 , was out with a friend in Crawley , West Sussex , as part of her rehabilitation when she moved a wooden pallet to help them reverse and plunged down into the open gap . She now has two black eyes and a suspected fractured leg after smashing her face on the pallet and was left in a 'splits ' position as only one of her legs went down the hole when she slipped . The grandmother-of-four said : ' I was with a friend helping her reverse out of a car park , and there was this wooden pallet in the way . ' I moved the pallet out of the way with my foot and I was going to turn around to my friend say `` is that far enough ? '' . ' I took a step over - never in my life did I think there was a hole underneath , I thought it had just fallen over . The next thing I remember is the pain . It was awful . ' I fell and smashed my face on the pallet , and I was in the hole with blood all over me and I could n't move . ' She reckons she has been set back 'years ' in her battle with the debilitating condition , which has left her housebound for a decade , and fears she 'll never leave her home again . Miss Faal , who lives in Crawley , said : 'It 's hard for me to go anywhere , but I was getting better . Now I 'm not so sure . ' She spent nearly an hour waiting in agony on the forecourt of Complete Tyre Services on Friday , April 10 , before a paramedic arrived to take her to East Surrey hospital . Scroll down for video . Her son Andy MacDonald , 39 , a painter and decorator , said : ' I 'm absolutely livid . Whoever owns that manhole should get it fixed and get it fixed right now . 'It 's ruined my mother 's recovery . I ca n't believe it . Whoever owns that manhole has something serious to answer for . Miss Faal was trying to move a wooden pallet when she fell down the gap , smashing her face and trapping her leg on the way down . She 's been left with two black eyes and bruising . ' I 'm self-employed , and I have to take time off work to care for my disabled mum , who has been knocked for six by negligence . 'If she was smaller she would have gone all of the way down - a slender woman or child could have been very seriously hurt . ' An employee at the company , where Miss Faal 's friend had driven her to get a new tyre for her car , claimed the holes have been reported 'loads of times ' to the owner of the site . The manhole ( pictured ) at Complete Tyre Services in Crawley had been covered by a wooden pallet . The site is leased from the owner of JP Supplies , which sells safety clothing to the construction industry in the neighbouring unit . A spokesman for South East Coast Ambulance Service confirmed its attendance and explained why it took so long for an ambulance to arrive . He said : 'When the call came in , with the information provided by the caller , it was classified as a `` class C '' call . 'We always do our best to back up the first paramedic as soon as we can but life-threatening calls have to take priority . ' Neither the tyre shop or their landlord JP Supplies are accepting responsibility for fixing the broken manhole . A worker at the garage said : 'We have been trying to get the manholes in the forecourt fixed for years , but what 's happened is they were covered with pallets . ' The building owner , who also runs nearby business JP Services , said : 'They are the tenants , so it 's down to them to fix the manhole cover . ' I 'm the landlord , but they have not spoken to me about it . ' Agoraphobia is ' a fear of being in situations where escape might be difficult , or help would n't be available if things went wrong ' , according to the NHS website . The site explains that though it 's often thought that the condition is a fear of open spaces the reality is not quite as straightforward , with some sufferers also fearing public transport and shopping centres . When agoraphobics are exposed to their fears several symptoms can sweep over them , including a feeling of nausea , rapid heartbeat and breathing , and rising temperature . The cause of agoraphobia can vary from person to person , with some people developing a fear of a certain situation or place because they experienced a panic attack there and then try to avoid it . Others may develop the condition through a fear of crime or being involved in an accident . Treatments may involve counselling , relaxation training or taking antidepressants . NHS Direct says : 'In the UK , up to two people in 100 have a panic disorder and it is . thought around a third of those will go on to develop agoraphobia as a . result . ' Source : NHS Direct .
Janet Faal , 39 , was out with a friend as part of her rehabilitation in Crawley . She moved wooden pallet with foot to help friend reverse and slipped down . Grandmother-of-two smashed face on pallet and left doing 'splits ' in hole . Miss Faal says it has set her back in battle with debilitating agoraphobia .