Don't invite people over if stairs are slippery, warns injured woman

A St. John's woman is furious after slipping on the stairs of a house she was visiting, even after she told the homeowners that the stairs were dangerously icy.

Marie Wadden, a former journalist with CBC, spent almost 11 hours in an emergency waiting room Monday night after the fall.

She said it all started when she was invited to a meeting at someone's house Monday night. When she arrived she noticed the steep stone steps leading to their front door were ice-covered and extremely slippery.

She told the owners of the house that it was dangerous, but they didn't salt or sand the steps. Later, they asked her if she could move her vehicle, and that's when she slipped on the ice and fell with her back hitting the edge of the stone steps.

"I just knew this was a bad fall," she told the St. John's Morning Show. "I'm really angry with the homeowners, because I did say that it was dangerous."

After laying on the floor of her home in pain for a while, Wadden eventually called an ambulance which brought her to St. Clare's Hospital. Only one doctor was working, and the waiting room was overflowing with others who had taken bad falls on the ice.

"It was like a carnival in there in the waiting room," she said. "There were so many people there for falls, and the nurses were finding it quite hilarious."

Wadden questioned why only one doctor was working, and after more than 10 hours she finally got in for an X-ray.

Luckily nothing was broken, but she has suffered at least temporary muscle and nerve damage. That means for now, she's not able to go out and do the outdoor activities that she usually does every day.

Feeling litigious

In the meantime, Wadden said she may seek legal action against the homeowners if she ends up with long-term injuries.

"If I can't do my regular activities I wouldn't hesitate to take action, because it's just not fair," she said.

"If you invite people to your home, make sure they can get in and out safely."