Handicapped Ramps Can Be Dangerous

Bob Carroll

Contributor

0 CommentsPrint ArticleSubscribe

Lately, I have noticed more frequent injuries occurring when handicapped access features of buildings and parking areas are improperly constructed. One example, is the ramp that far exceeds the maximum slope specified in building codes. Another is the lack of safety barriers which is the situation in this report from the Columbia Daily Tribune.

Lawsuit filed after injury at downtown Walgreens

A local man has filed a lawsuit against Walgreen Co. for injuries he got from a slip during a shopping trip.

In December, Earl Lundgren was walking toward the entrance of the downtown Walgreens at 222 E. Broadway when he stumbled off a concrete embankment near a wheelchair ramp and fell about 3 feet, according to a lawsuit filed last month in Boone County Circuit Court.

The lawsuit says Walgreens was negligent because a barrier required under city building codes didn't exist at the place where Lundgren fell.

John Sudduth, building regulation supervisor in the city's office of protective inspections, said building codes would have required such a barrier, but the report on the building's final inspection on May 2, 2002, did not disclose any issues.