OR- TEENS INJURED WHEN STAIRCASE DROPS

11-5-2008 Oregon:

Brookings resident Elizabeth Gaskins climbed up and down the staircase in front of her Morris Street apartment daily. The fresh coat of paint and new carpeting on the stairs bolstered her sense of security – and masked the danger lurking underneath.

On Halloween night she watched in horror as the staircase collapse underneath several trick-or-treaters leaving her doorway.

"I was so frightened they were hurt," Gaskins said. "If that had been me on those stairs I might not be here anymore."

When the bottom end of the stair case dropped, three teens fell about ten feet to the ground below.

Brandon Luna, 17, who was caught between the staircase and landing may have minor spinal damage and has soft tissue injuries to his knee and hip, said his mother Sandra Luna. Additional testing will be done to determine the extent of the injuries, she said.

Brandon's cousin, Jasmine Olsen-Perry, 15, likely broke her ankle in the fall. A third teen on the stairs at the time was not injured. A fourth teen, who was still at the top of the stairs, was able to hang on to the railing and climb back up to the second story balcony, where another teen had not yet stepped onto the stairs.

The two were trapped on the balcony until a ladder was brought in to get them down. The ladder remained as emergency access for Gaskins until temporary repairs to the stairs were made.

"What they have in there now scares me, too," Gaskins said about the temporary fix.

As a result of the collapse, half a dozen staircases at Pacific View Gardens apartment complex, 1235 Moore Street will be replaced.

"The stairs in this complex are past their lifespan and need to be replaced," said Brookings building official LauraLee Gray.

Gray inspected the stairs that collapsed on Tuesday, at the request of the health department in Coos Bay.

The age of the stairs was identified as a primary cause of the collapse, but also indicated that the carpeting on the outdoor staircase accelerated the rot, Gray said.

Gray has been in contact with the company that manages the apartments, Grand Management of Coos Bay.

"Grand Management recognizes the need for the staircases to be replaced," said Gray. "The company is meeting with a supplier of fiberglass stairways and expects them to be installed in the next few months."

All of the stairs in the complex will have to be shored up until the new stairs are installed, she said.

The Curry Coastal Pilot's phone calls to the apartment owners on Tuesday were not returned.

The Pacific View Gardens apartment complex is subsidized housing for the elderly and disabled. It is managed by Grand Management and is funded by the Department of Agriculture Rural Development. ..News Source.. by Arwyn Rice, Pilot staff writer