She Needed A Ramp & A Rollator
Posted by
Bob CarrollSeptember 27, 2005 5:43 AM"A rollator is basically a standard walker with tires attached. Unlike a regular walker, a rollator doesn't involve the lift that a normal walker requires. Makes walking a smoother process. A rollator however requires that the user be stable enough to not let it get away from them since it has wheels."
A curb and a short patch of grass were hazardous conditions for my client. Because of her medical condition they might as well have been a 10 foot wall. We are fortunate to live in times when ramps are commonplace and even walkers have wheels. Now, all we need to do is buy them and use them. Of course, that assumes the condominium association complies wtih the law on accessibility.
You may never have heard of a rollator. Neither had I. But, while preparing for an important hearing in a case I came across a picture and description of one at Rollators and Wheelchairs .
"A rollator is basically a standard walker with tires attached. Unlike a regular walker, a rollator doesn't involve the lift that a normal walker requires."
My case involved a serious injury resulting in death from a fall at a condominium building. The injured woman was handicapped and trying to walk with a cane. She died because her "home" was dangerous to her. A curb and a short patch of grass were hazardous conditions for my client. Because of her medical condition they might as well have been a 10 foot wall.
The condominium development did not have proper ramps for its residents from the parking area to the front doors of the individual units despite the specific request of my client for a "reasonable accommodation" under the Federal Fair Housing Act.
A condominium resident agrees to be governed by an association on certain matters, such as, the maintenance and construction of the common areas of the project. These include the parking areas and walkways. A resident-owner cannot simply build a ramp or correct a hazard in the common areas.
We are fortunate to live in times when ramps are becoming commonplace and even walkers have wheels. Now, all we need to do is buy them and use them. Of course, that assumes the condominium association complies wtih the law on accessibility.
As I reviewed the facts of the case and the available materials on ramps and rollators I could see in my mind how my client could have easily and safely traversed the short distance to her residence using a ramp.