Man files lawsuit over fall on Louise Bridge sidewalk

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This article was published 04/04/2023 (1144 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A man has filed a lawsuit against the City of Winnipeg, seeking damages for significant injuries he says were suffered on the sidewalk of the Louise Bridge.

Franklin Hall, a self-employed general contractor, says in a March 24 statement of claim the incident occurred Oct. 29, 2022, while walking with friends on the Higgins Avenue bridge across the Red River.

The group was walking on the sidewalk between 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., when Hall’s foot got caught in a hole in an access cover, causing him to fall, twist his left foot and ankle and hit his head on the railing, the claim filed in the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench alleges.

Hall was not impaired at the time, though he had consumed a small amount of alcohol, the lawsuit says.

He was taken to Health Sciences Centre by ambulance, where he was diagnosed with fractures to his tibia and the bone joint under his left ankle. Surgeons inserted plates and pins to secure his leg and stabilize the fractures before the limb was put in a cast, according to the claim.

Six weeks later, the plates and pins were removed, and Hall’s foot was put in a walking boot, requiring crutches to walk. He still goes to HSC for physiotherapy, the claim says, and continues to suffer pain.

Hall is seeking general and special damages, as well as damages for lost income, along with legal costs. Among the special damages, he is seeking medical expenses that were not covered by the province’s health-care system.

He alleges in the claim the City of Winnipeg, which owns the bridge, breached its duty of care by allowing a dangerous condition to exist on the bridge’s sidewalk, failed to take steps to fix the hole, and failed to warn the public of the dangerous condition and barricade it.

Hall also alleges the city failed to establish or follow a reasonable inspection protocol and/or maintenance of the pedestrian crossing.

The City of Winnipeg has not yet filed a statement of defence in court. A spokesman, Kalen Qually, said Monday the city could not comment on the matter, as it is before the court.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca