Still Slippery After 2 years
Denny's settled a slip-and-fall case, but the source of trouble at a Coon Rapids restaurant remains.
Much has changed since Barbara Anderson slipped on some ice two years ago in the parking lot of a Denny's restaurant in Coon Rapids. Anderson, 65, has a titanium rod in her right leg, a profound anxiety about walking outside in winter and the remnants of a $120,000 legal settlement.
But one thing is the same: The downspout from the roof of the Denny's still empties into the handicapped parking space, creating what one safety consultant called a "freezing lake effect" that left Anderson flat on her back and screaming in pain. Earlier this month, an icy mound had built up once again in the handicapped parking space, despite a generous sprinkling of ice melt crystals.
Anderson and her family are disturbed that her accident didn't prompt the restaurant to move the downspout so the hazard would be eliminated.
According to slip-and-fall experts, it's typical for property owners and their insurers to pay settlements and go back to business as usual.
