Sarah Lalonde broke her shin after going down the enclosed slide in Quarry Park with her four-year-old son on June 2, but the slide wasn’t closed until nine days later
A Langford mom whobroke her leg using a slide in a new Colwood playgroundsays she’s angry the slide wasn’t closed until after a second person was injured.
Sarah Lalonde went down the enclosed, metal slide in Quarry Park with her four-year-old son on June 2, because he was afraid to go down on his own.
Inside the slide, her leg hit the top and she heard her bone break, Lalonde said.
She was taken to hospital with her shin broken in two places and a hairline fracture near her ankle.
Friend Stephanie Ferris, who was with Lalonde at the time, said another friend called the City of Colwood to report the injury after Lalonde was taken away in an ambulance. She was told the information would be passed on to the appropriate person, Ferris said.
Ferris also told a man who was driving a City of Colwood vehicle and emptying garbage cans in the park about Lalonde’s injury, she said.
Colwood’s spokesperson Sandra Russell said the city did not receive any formal reports from injured individuals until June 11, and after speaking with them, the parks team immediately closed the slide. She said the city heard from two affected people on June 11.
Russell did not answer questions about whether the city has a record of the witness reporting Lalonde’s injury on June 2 and why the slide was not closed until June 11.
Ferris said it is frustrating that nothing seems to have been done after Lalonde’s injury was first reported, particularly because a young boy broke his leg on the slide after Lalonde was hurt.
Ferris said she didn’t necessarily want the city to close the slide right away, but she expected staff to look into Lalonde’s accident to determine if the slide was safe.
Lalonde, who is unable to put weight on her leg for six to eight weeks and faces up to a year for a full recovery, called the city on June 11.
“I’m just really upset that the three-year-old got hurt, because if they would have listened to the people calling and emailing, that shouldn’t have happened,” she said.
The slide is designed for children ages five to 12 and has received safety certification for those ages, said Russell, who noted there are signs to that effect.
The slide will remain closed while the city works with the property developer and playground builder to determine its next steps and ensure safety.
The Quarry Park playground was built by Path Developments as part of the Royal Bay neighbourhood, but is owned and managed by the city.
The slide was built by a highly experienced playground builder that has designed and certified many playgrounds across the province, Sara Park, director of marketing for Path, previously told theTimes Colonist.
[email protected]