/ NEWS / THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
WEATHEF
Ice is melting,but students continue to feel its effects
BY KIRSTEN KWON
kkwon@kansan.com
During a winter season with heavy precipitation and freezing temperatures, students dealt with ice injuries on campus and around Lawrence. Some areas, such as the stairs outside Anschutz Library, were closed last week because of the slippery conditions.
Apartment complexes dealt with similar issues
Allison Dillmon, a sophomore from Wichita, is still on crutches from slipping on black ice outside her apartment complex seven weeks ago. She broke two bones in her ankle.
"My sister took me to the emergency room, and I've been visiting an orthopedic surgeon to get it checked up and stuff."
she said.
Because Dillmon fell on the apartment complex's property, it agreed to pay for some of her medical fees. Dillmon's insurance and parents covered the rest.
KU general counsel Rose Marino said the University is covered against lawsuits regarding weather-related injuries under the Kansas Tort Claims Act. She said the University is not responsible for injuries that occur because of snow, ice or wind because those conditions are outside of its control.
"It basically states that unless the University did something to make it worse or cause it, then the University isn't liable," Marino said.
Marino said she didn't know if a student had ever filed a lawsuit against the University for weather-related injuries. But she
said complaints had been made, which caused officials to look into the issue.
University spokeswoman Jill Jess said that the University tries to make campus a safe place to walk soon after snowfall but that it's not always an easy task.
"The University makes every effort to clear streets and sidewalks in a timely fashion," she said. "With the sheer amount of area that has to be covered, we know we won't be able to hit 100 percent clearance in 24 hours."
The University does not follow the normal Lawrence city ordinance of snow removal, which gives property owners 48 hours after snowfall to clear public sidewalks before receiving a citation.
— Edited by Kate Larrabee
Ryan Carney, a freshman from Chicago, walks along Crescent Street to get to campus last Friday. Some areas on campus were closed last week because of ice, such as the stairs outside of Anchzut Library. The size of campus makes it difficult to clear completely.
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
BY THE NUMBERS
12 miles of roadways on the Lawrence campus
25 — miles of sidewalks on the Lawrence campus
100 acres of parking lots on the Lawrence campus
Source: University Relations