Firefighters tape off the east side of Calvert Street between Saratoga and Lexington streets, where the grate, at left, collapsed. (Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston / October 27, 2009) |
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One man's stroll Tuesday morning along a downtown Baltimore sidewalk turned into a harrowing ordeal when he plunged about 15 feet underground after the metal grate he was walking over collapsed.
The man was walking in the 200 block of N. Calvert St. just south of Saratoga Street about 8:16 a.m. when he fell through the opening, said Chief Kevin Cartwright, a city fire spokesman. The man, identified as Baltimore resident Thomas Harrison, 29, was extricated within half an hour and taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, according to Cartwright.
"He was just walking across on the grate and it gave way," Cartwright said.
Harrison was treated and released, a Shock Trauma spokesman said.
It was not clear what caused the grate to break, but city officials said the owner of the building at 225 N. Calvert St. is responsible for maintaining the fixture.
The grate appears to date to 1967, when the building's owner was issued a permit that allowed Calvert Parking Corp. to put a private structure in the public right of way. Once the permit is issued, there is no following up on the condition of the structure.
At the time, those permits automatically renewed and transferred if the property was sold, said Cathy Powell, a spokeswoman for Baltimore's Department of General Services.
"Even if the property changed hands, the permit still stands," she said.
The permit agreements also indemnify the city in case of any injury to the public, according to Powell.
"Everything there is the owner's responsibility," she said.
A representative for the property management company, Jones Lang LaSalle, declined to comment specifically about the incident.
"Jones Lang LaSalle follows best practices to provide high-quality service to all client properties," said vice president Craig Bloomfield in an e-mailed statement. "We are still investigating this incident to understand what occurred, and are unable to provide additional comment in the meantime."
City building inspectors do not routinely review commercial property for hazards, said Cheron Porter, a spokeswoman for Baltimore's Department of Housing and Community Development.
"We don't have the resources to inspect every neighborhood, every house and every commercial building in the city limits," she said.
However, if inspectors spot problems or if a complaint is made, "we certainly have the right to issue a code violation," Porter added. Residents can call 311 to report problems and an inspector will visit within 72 hours, she said.
If a hazard is found, the owner would receive a citation, Porter said. If repairs are not made, city workers would make the fix and the owner would be billed, she said.
The man was walking in the 200 block of N. Calvert St. just south of Saratoga Street about 8:16 a.m. when he fell through the opening, said Chief Kevin Cartwright, a city fire spokesman. The man, identified as Baltimore resident Thomas Harrison, 29, was extricated within half an hour and taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, according to Cartwright.
"He was just walking across on the grate and it gave way," Cartwright said.
Harrison was treated and released, a Shock Trauma spokesman said.
It was not clear what caused the grate to break, but city officials said the owner of the building at 225 N. Calvert St. is responsible for maintaining the fixture.
The grate appears to date to 1967, when the building's owner was issued a permit that allowed Calvert Parking Corp. to put a private structure in the public right of way. Once the permit is issued, there is no following up on the condition of the structure.
At the time, those permits automatically renewed and transferred if the property was sold, said Cathy Powell, a spokeswoman for Baltimore's Department of General Services.
"Even if the property changed hands, the permit still stands," she said.
The permit agreements also indemnify the city in case of any injury to the public, according to Powell.
"Everything there is the owner's responsibility," she said.
A representative for the property management company, Jones Lang LaSalle, declined to comment specifically about the incident.
"Jones Lang LaSalle follows best practices to provide high-quality service to all client properties," said vice president Craig Bloomfield in an e-mailed statement. "We are still investigating this incident to understand what occurred, and are unable to provide additional comment in the meantime."
City building inspectors do not routinely review commercial property for hazards, said Cheron Porter, a spokeswoman for Baltimore's Department of Housing and Community Development.
"We don't have the resources to inspect every neighborhood, every house and every commercial building in the city limits," she said.
However, if inspectors spot problems or if a complaint is made, "we certainly have the right to issue a code violation," Porter added. Residents can call 311 to report problems and an inspector will visit within 72 hours, she said.
If a hazard is found, the owner would receive a citation, Porter said. If repairs are not made, city workers would make the fix and the owner would be billed, she said.
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Shock Trauma bill, $10,000. Grate repair, $2,500. Reinforcement of my paranoid obsessive compulsion to always walk AROUND the grate, priceless.
barose1 (10/28/2009, 2:19 PM )