Mill Creek Today
Momentum: Community News and Commentary
Town Center Parking Lot Gratings Pose Slip and Fall Hazard
The summer rainfall of June 8 exposed a problem with the parking area west of Main Street in MC Town Center when a 75-year-old man slipped on a steel grating and fell to the ground in the driveway, injuring his right arm and shoulder. On examination, the grating, which had originally had a roughened surface when it was installed, had been polished "as smooth and slippery as black ice" according to the man.

Examination by an MCT reporter revealed that all the gratings in the parking area behind Mongolian Grill and adjacent businesses northward and southward were equally slick. In every case, the parts of the gratings nearest curbs and parking slots retained some of their original rough (toothed) texture, but the areas away from the curbs and parked cars had all been worn smooth. In addition, several grate openings are warped, presumably from excessive vehicle weight, and have raised edges that pose tripping hazards.

The adjacent graphic shows the less polished surface, similar to original condition, at right and the highly polished surface at left (click image for larger view). The photograph was taken moments after the incident.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, (slip and) falls are the leading cause of death among older persons in the US. "In 2014 alone, older Americans experienced 29 million falls causing seven million injuries and costing an estimated $31 billion in annual Medicare costs, according to a new report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in this week’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)," the Centers reported.

According to the National Safety Council, "Falls also are the leading cause of injury-related death for adults age 65 and older, according to Injury Facts 2017, the statistical report on unintentional injuries created by the National Safety Council. This is not surprising considering falls are among the most common causes of traumatic brain injury. More than 33,000 people died from falls in 2015, and the vast majority of them were over age 65."

The location is managed by Panos Properties of Bellevue and Seattle, which did not answer its telephone when called by MCT.
Comments
rees - Jun 9, 2018, 11:54 AM
Seems pretty clear the city should demand that the owner repair or replace the grates and restore them to their original condition.

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