Someone got hurt
To some, like waterfront resident Paul Thomas, it's the leg-breaker at the foot of Simcoe St.
Thomas, 47, blames the steep incline of the $6-million Simcoe WaveDeck for the severe leg injury he suffered July 3 while attempting to navigate its sloping surfaces.
"I haven't been able to work at all," Thomas said. "It's just devastated my life."
His lawyer, Charles Gluckstein, notified City Hall he intends to file a lawsuit for the severed tendon and partially broken kneecap Thomas suffered after stepping down from the WaveDeck's west hump to the next-highest level.
Thomas views the WaveDeck as a beautiful vibrant addition to the downtown waterfront. But he also thinks it's dangerous.
MUNICIPAL STANDARDS
"I thought it was safe when I was on it, but I'm a prime example that it's not," Thomas said. "I just think that for them to spend so much on something so beautiful, you'd think they'd make it a little safer."
Safety advocates say the 650-square-metre wooden boardwalk, which has a 42% slope at the steepest part, should be closed until engineers make it safer.
"I think the Harbourfront is a great place to go. I just don't think the gateway to that facility should be this risky," Brian Patterson, president of the Ontario Safety League, said. "The city's engineers should move quickly to correct it."
The dramatic and unorthodox WaveDeck -- designed by Rotterdam firm West 8 -- is one of three unveiled in the past year by Waterfront Toronto, the agency revitalizing the downtown waterfront.
The agency spent $14 million on three completed decks along Queens Quay at Spadina Ave., Rees St. and Simcoe St. A fourth WaveDeck is slated for Parliament St.
Waterfront Toronto and city officials wouldn't comment about Thomas' pending suit but said the boardwalks abide by municipal planning standards. West 8 officials weren't available for comment.
Thomas, who owns a company that invents and markets board games, said he was hospitalized for two weeks after developing complications from his surgery.
Thomas said he was forced to live on credit cards and loans from friends while off work. Gluckstein said it hasn't been determined how much the claim will be but would likely seek damages for pain and suffering and lost wages.
"It's our view that this is a dangerous design and it's a safety hazard for the public," he said. "It's completely the cause of his injuries."