The pit along Southwest 11th Street is covered by plywood today, but it was open last night.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – A blind man walking to the grocery store to buy milk dropped into a brick-lined pit of an uncovered storm drain in Chehalis last night.
Police and aid called about 11:30 p.m. to the corner of Southwest 11th Street at Market Boulevard found 42-year-old Tim Franklin just pulling himself out.
Tim Franklin
He said he was stuck down there about five minutes.
“I stepped into it, went forward and smacked my head on the other side,” Franklin said.
It was only chest-deep, but one of his feet got wedged in a small pipe about halfway down, he said.
“There I was, I was yelling,” Franklin said. “Not for help, I was cussin’.”
Franklin, who uses a white cane to make his way around town, was more annoyed than he was hurt. Today however, the brim of his hat hid a purplish-red scuff mark on his forehead.
“You know, I never go on this side of the sidewalk, he said.
A woman across 11th Street who heard him and called 911 told him it’s been uncovered for about three days, he said.
“Why would they leave it this way,” he said. “I’m pissed.”
The opening – on the shoulder next to the sidewalk – is about three feet long by two feet wide. A shallow stream of water trickled across the bottom of it this afternoon.
A piece of plywood and orange cones set atop it now.
The cover that belongs over it is more like a grate, according to Chehalis Fire Department Capt. Kevin Curfman. He said he was told by the street department it keeps getting stolen.
“(They’re) gonna have to figure out how to bolt it down or something,” Curfman said.
Franklin declined to go to the hospital, a paramedic checked his neck, he said.
The Chehalis man says he’s not immune to accidents because of his lack of sight. A hereditary condition gradually took his vision until it was entirely gone at age 30, he said.
Four or five years ago he fell at Stan Hedwall Park and broke his ankle, he said.
The ankle is sore, he said today. He planned to have his doctor check it, his hip and his head, he said.
Last night, after the nice paramedic was done with him, he nixed the trip to Safeway and limped the 13 blocks back home, he said.
“They didn’t offer me a ride home,” he said.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
I think that the American Disabilities Act actually allows for legal compensation for illegal and/or inadequate warnings of danger on city property.
Definitely worth taking to the ACLU and a lawyer familiar with ADA law.
Best of luck.
Shame on Centralia. There’s nobody who’s going to complain about people giving Centralia/Chehalis black eyes and be taken seriously since they (the city government) keep giving themselves black-eyes.
Wow, shame on you city of chehalis.
Maybe it’s not your fault due to all the meth heads stilling metal, but c’mon why should a blind man sufer monetary, phisical, and emotional damage because you don’t want to step up to the plate. Make it right!!
It’s bad enough going through life blind without having to fight for his safety. Please do what’s right and compensate him.
Sign
Christy
City of Chehalis needs to get their act together! This incident could have ended much worse that just a bruise…
That’s pretty muffed up to not even offer Mr. Franklin a ride home. Perhaps his ears were ringing so loudly from the blow to the head that he didn’t hear them when they graciously said they’d be pleased to assist him in getting home safely and comfortably… (hoping that’s the case)… :0/
Shame on the city of Chehalis! It doesn’t take a genius to figure out how to bolt a grate down! What are you, idiots? And then not offering the poor guy a ride home? I hope he sues the shit out of them!