Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village has cost taxpayers at least about $300,000 over the last decade due to personal injuries claims, according to a new report.
The green space tied for second place for playground-related personal injury claims filed against the city from 2005 to 2014, which citywide cost more than $20.6 million, City Comptroller Scott Stringer said.
Stringer’s analysis also found that annual claims in the city rose 53 percent from just 45 incidents in 2005 to 69 last year.
Of the 577 park- and playground-related injury claims over the decade, 111 accidents occurred in Queens. That number is much less than city leader Brooklyn, which set the bar at 209.
Juniper Valley Park had six injury claims filed against the city over the decade for accidents related to missing matting, holes and defective swings. Five of those claims recorded a combined $297,500, according to Stringer’s analysis. The amount of one was not given in the report.
Local residents say Juniper has a numerous issues, including holes, defective equipment, cracks and other trip hazards, and that the Parks Department neglects to take action and fix the park, even though problems have been reported.
8 comments:
When I was a kid, we fell on our heads all the time in City Parks. There was no suing. I guess we have to get rid of the kid's playgrounds now, or we are all to be bankrupted. Thank you lawyers.
The only problem I've seen with this playground specifically is the odd feral child careening through the play area on a scooter. Sounds boondoggular to me.
We got hurt at the park all the time when I was kid. Just ban these frivolous lawsuits!
That which is reward (and publicized) will be repeated.
Look forward to more payouts.
The only safe playground is an empty one (and maybe not even that)
Can't we just put a sign like they put at parking lots, parking garages or coat rooms?
'Parking is at your own risk' or 'Leave belongings at your own risk'
How many of these things are because the kids aren't being watched?
Black rubber gets hot in the summer sun. Walking barefoot on it is a bad idea. NOW PAY ME!!!!!!!!
Nonsense. No one wants to be responsible for their own actions.
Privatize all parks so NYC is not liable. I meant that sarcastically. Would Melinda Katz have her love child play there and consider it safe? Test tube daddy Sliwa might object.
Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski live only a few blocks from Juniper Valley Park. Nice to see that she doesn't care any more about her local park than she does for the rest of the borough's.
Yes, as an old-timer myself (67), I well remember the concrete and asphalt playgrounds of yesteryear. Mine was on 90th Street between 32nd Ave and Northern Blvd in Jackson Heights (still there, of course, but it's been a while since I have been there).
Hard ground, metal swings, slides you could burn skin off of in the summer: you learned HOW to play or you got hurt, and if you did - TOUGH!
Don't get me wrong: I believe in making things safer for our children and grandchildren, but how do you play in a park with PILLOWS everywhere?
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