'Our son died - now we want safer car parks'

A family is backing a campaign to make multi-storey car parks safer following the death of their son.

Andy and Liz Combeer's 17-year-old son Tom died in the early hours of 8 March 2025 after falling from a multi-storey car park in Guildford. Minutes earlier he had messaged his family's WhatsApp group saying he loved them.

"If he had walked up to the top of that car park and found that it was enclosed, he would still be alive," Liz told the BBC.

Vanessa King, Guildford Borough Council's deputy leader, said: "We remain committed to taking proactive steps to improve safety and support for those who may be vulnerable."

She continued: "The safety and wellbeing of everyone who uses our multi-storey car parks is extremely important to us.

Andy and Liz say they are supporting the Multi-Storey Car Parks Bill, which sets out to legally mandate increased perimeter edging from 1.1m to 2.7m (3ft 7in to 8ft 10in) and 24-hour on-site security at multi-storeys.

Such changes, Liz said, could have given her son "pause for thought" and prevented his death.

"We literally feel that [what happened] was entirely impulsive," she continued.

"Multi-storey car parks, with their unrestricted 24/7 public access to high and unenclosed levels and limited monitoring, [are] uniquely problematic.

"There are no other buildings Tom could have accessed in the middle of the night," she said.

"There's no way back from falling from the 10th floor of a car park."

Andy and Liz say: "We believe [Guildford Borough Council] has a duty of care to us as local residents and Tom and other children, to make... these car parks safe."

Liz said when she went to identify her son's body there were multiple other memorials for people who had died after falling from the site.

Guildford Borough Council says it has implemented a range of enhanced safety measures across its multi-storey car parks since 2025.

"This includes upgraded CCTV coverage, new alarm-triggered surveillance technology, revised procedures for responding to vulnerable individuals, increased patrols, further staff training and signage," a spokesperson said.

These measures had already "enabled successful interventions," they said.

The spokesperson said interim fencing was being installed, while permanent full-height fencing was progressing as a "priority".

The Multi-Storey Car Parks Bill, known as Gabe's Law, is named after 15-year-old Gabriel Santer, who died after falling from the rooftop of a Liverpool car park.

"If we can at least prevent one family from going through this then it is worth it," said Andy.

"Tom was a happy individual," said Liz.

"He had a good group of friends who he used to see a lot. He used to enjoy football. He had a job. His friends used to say that he was their go-to person for a listening ear and support.

"His death has been life-changing for all of us."

A government spokesperson said Tom's story was "heart breaking".

"We are committed to working with the Gabe's Law campaign on car park safety and other experts to explore changes to building rules and design standards, including measures that could better prevent falls and improve safety.

"We want to identify the most effective ways... prevent tragedies like this from happening again."

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