Pot Holes Lead to Injury and Court Cases in Brooklyn

Borough Hall's long-neglected plaza has finally taken a victim and she will sue the city after fracturing her hip due to a fall on the cracked sidewalk.

Fort Greene resident Joan Bassin, 71, was walking through the plaza which surrounds the government building last month when she tripped and fell on the uneven slate. The plaza, near Adams Street, has been much neglected in the past few years.

Bassin was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. The fall led to her inability to work for more than a month and two surgeries to replace her bone with a steel rod and metal ball. She will also have to endure at least three weeks of physical therapy.

Borough Hall's plaza has been the focus of much local speculation in the past couple of years as it is quickly deteriorating. There is broken cement and a collection of potholes which can cause injury. The deterioration is thought to be caused by ice-melting chemicals used during the winter months.

The Parks Department previously claimed responsibility for the area and assured residents that repairs would be made. That was months ago and only a few patches are evident.

Perhaps the Parks Department has learned its lesson; Bassin and her attorney plan on suing the organization for its negligence which led to her injury.
Source -

The Brooklyn Paper, "Boro Hall slip-and-fall!"