A woman fell to her death recently from a climbing wall at a gym in Grapevine, TX.
According to CBS Dallas, the accident happened on Sept. 22, when the woman lost her grip and fell from about 25 to 30 feet to the ground. Emergency responders transported her by CareFlite to Parkland Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Safety harnesses are designed to keep climbers secure and break their fall if they lose your grip. In this case, it appears that the woman was not hooked in properly to the safety mechanisms.
When a single climber is climbing the wall, the gym in question has an auto belay system that works to pick up the slack as the climber ascends, eliminating the need for another person to help with the climb. The system locks the ropes into place as the climber goes higher. The 52-year-old woman was apparently not connected to the belay system.
A Grapevine police officer said the gym informed him that climbers are required to sign a waiver and are responsible for connecting themselves to the auto belay system while they are climbing or having someone else belay them.
Avoiding responsibility isn’t always as simple as having people sign a waiver, however. The gym must provide safety equipment and training to ensure the users know how to safely use it. If the gym didn’t provide the instructions necessary or if its equipment failed in some manner, it could be held responsible for the accident.
Police are reportedly investigating whether the woman was provided the correct equipment and instructions before beginning her climb. The gym closed for the day and expressed condolences to the woman’s family.
As a gym-goer or customer of any service provider, you must be responsible for your own safety. But that doesn’t lessen the responsibility of the service provider or business owner for preventing accidents.
Houston Premises Liability Attorney
If you are seriously injured in an accident like this one, you could be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Contact Kevin Krist, Houston personal injury attorney, today for a consultation. Call 832-924-3171 today.
