Sabrina Gatt was simply going to find a cafe near her home. But her exit took a dramatic turn when she fell, while crossing a construction site, into a hole seven feet deep above which a simple plank had been deposited.
Posted at 12:00 a.m.
She lived the nightmare of many pedestrians: the board gave way, and the 30-year-old was injured in the fall.
It was on June 3, at the intersection of boulevard Crémazie and rue Saint-Denis. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital.
According to the doctors, I was very lucky to come out of this abyss unscathed. I didn’t have anything broken, but it could have been worse.
Sabrina Gatt
She says she has severe pain in her back, hips and joints.
“I am under medical observation,” she said. The sinkhole I fell into had a lot of construction debris, metal bars and nails on the boards. The wooden bridge, which was in fact a simple plank, was obviously in poor condition and not in conformity. »
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
The hole that Sabrina Gatt fell into
According to Mme Gatt, the police intervened after his accident to block this passage for pedestrians and tell them to take the sidewalk located on the other side of the street. But she is still worried about the poor security around this construction site.
She filed a complaint with the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) and with the city’s ombudsman.
But above all, she wants to denounce the situation because she fears that other passers-by will be injured.
“There was negligence. I want the City to be made aware, to recognize its responsibility and to ensure that the construction sites of its agents are safe, asks Sabrina Gatt. I don’t want the same thing to happen to anyone else. It scared me so much! »
Whose fault is it ?
The Michaudville company is carrying out aqueduct repair work at this location on behalf of the City of Montreal.
The company’s general manager, Sylvain Phaneuf, did not respond to our request for an interview about safety on his site.
It was also impossible to obtain explanations from the City of Montreal on the measures taken to secure the place.
The director general of the organization Piétons Québec, Sandrine Cabana-Degani, wonders if there was an inspection by the City to ensure that the facilities were safe.
When there are construction sites in Montreal, there is an obligation to provide a corridor for pedestrians, but the infrastructure in place must still be safe.
Sandrine Cabana-Degani, general manager of the organization Piétons Québec
She recalls that an accident occurring on the road, but which does not involve a vehicle, is not considered a road accident by the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec, which prevents pedestrians like Sabrina Gatt to receive compensation. “We must turn to the City to try to be compensated”, observes Mme Cabana Degani.
However, a working committee has just been created by Quebec to look into the matter, she says.