2 women say they were hurt on slides at Pismo Beach Pier Plaza. Now they’re suing the city
Two San Luis Obispo County women are suing the city of Pismo Beach after they say they suffered spinal injuries on the concrete slides installed in Pier Plaza.
The pair of lawsuits filed June 3 by Nipomo attorney Jacqueline Frederick allege that the city was allowing a dangerous condition to exist on its property, and also names RRM Design Group, which conceived the slides, as well as the construction and concrete companies that built them.
“In what was supposed to be an enjoyable attraction, this particular slide as designed had some significant problems,” Frederick said Tuesday. “Clearly this was a dangerous condition on (Pismo Beach) property, and they encouraged people to use it.”
The complaints allege that Karlee Hayden and Tara Rodman were using the slide in October and September 2020 respectively. The women were both “propelled in such a manner” that caused them “to land on the concrete landing area of the slide” on their buttocks and lower backs, causing injury.
“As a proximate result of the foregoing, (the plaintiff) was injured in her health, strength and activity (and) sustained severe and persistent physical injuries including but not limited to her spine, specifically the lower spine and tailbone area with radiating pain involving injury indicating damage to nerves requiring medical treatment and care,” one of the woman’s complaints reads.
“This takes a long time to heal,” Frederick said. “People with these injuries often have lifelong pain.”
The attorney said that while she’s in the early stages of investigating the specific defects in the design and construction of the slides, it’s clear that designers did not take into consideration that people of all sizes would use the structures, with adults facing a risk of landing hard onto concrete on their tailbones.
Frederick said that the city has acknowledged the risk by installing warning signs — a property owner’s “last vestige” to protect against liability for maintaining a dangerous property — around the slides. The signs warn that the slides are designed for kids ages 5 to 12, that falls could result in serious injury, and to use at your own risk.
Frederick said her clients are only two of several people to be injured on the slides, which were installed in September 2020.
“As our office has alleged in the pending lawsuits, the city, and other entities involved in the construction of the slides, designed the slides as a feature attraction for use by people of all ages,” Frederick Law Firm said in a statement. “However, it came to light that the City became aware of the inherent risks involved in the slides but failed to implement adequate safety measures, disregarding the foreseeable danger and potential harm to the public. As a result, many individuals who used the slides in a reasonable and intended manner have suffered significant and lasting injuries.”
Both women are seeking unspecified damages to cover medical bills, lost wages, and other damages.
The cases are scheduled to have hearings in October.
The city of Pismo Beach did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This story was originally published June 8, 2021 at 1:32 PM.
