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New York, Chicago, Boston, DC: They all have skyscrapers, they all have snow. But of all the midwestern and east coast cold-weather cities we've visited, Chicago is the only one where we've seen falling ice signs everywhere. It's like the Cool Kid Club for buildings. You're not the shit unless you've got a sign out.
We know that every year people are hurt by ice as it falls off of buildings around the Loop but what exactly are we supposed to do to avoid it? Walk with our eyes in the air, on the lookout for killer icicles, while we bump into everyone around us? If we're lucky enough to have sun, we're blinded when we look up. We try to walk a little farther away from buildings going from here to there, but the wind can carry ice farther out.. and even the building we work in has a falling ice sign one step away from the revolving door. . so what are we supposed to do? Not go to work? (Actually, that sounds great!) Seriously, though. How do you avoid falling ice when walking in and out of buildings? The falling ice signs are kind of like "Watch out for lightning!" or "Don't be an innocent victim of a driveby shooting!" The chances are very, very low and no matter what you do somebody is going to be killed by them at some point. But buildings don't put out signs to watch for lightening or gangsters.. so why ice?
In 2000, Donald Booth, a Wisconsin man, was walking down the sidewalk past the Neiman Marcus building when a microwave-size piece of ice fell from the sky, crushing his skull and vertebrae and instantly killing him. His family settled a $4.5 million lawsuit. This leads Chicagoist to believe that all of the buildings are putting signs out to cover their asses. If you get hit in with ice in front of their building, it's not like they didn't warn you. Bad luck for Mr. Booth to be right in that exact spot at the exact time the ice fell, but that's only one incident that severe that we've heard of. Is a slim chance of paying out $4.5 mil enough to scare everyone into putting falling ice signs out?
For more photos of falling ice signs, check out rachelleb.com.
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Yeah, it seems like a complete CYA move for the property owner's part. Stupid people with their stupid lawsuits make things like that and the "Caution! Coffee is extremely hot!" warning on the lid necessary.
The signs do make me a little paranoid, though, and just go to provide me with another reminder that injury or harm come in all forms (including solid, liquid or gas). I'm constantly looking up whenever I go out for lunch, so I've taken to brown-bagging it to lessen my chances of death-by-icicle. Cuz, you know, those icicles have been known to hurt people!
If it were still the holiday season, a "Christmas Story" reference would seem appropriate right about now.
Does anyone know of any other instances where someone was injured/maimed/killed by falling ice? I read in someone's blog the other day that they similar signs in Park City, Utah, but as Rachelle said, I've never seen them anywhere but Chicago.
Heh. I see Kristi already made the CS reference! Woo hoo!
there are some new signs out in front of the Realtor Building that i think should be used on the highway or something. i'm 5'4" and they come up at least to my shoulder. that's some major CYA going on.
I'm going to show my mean observations, based on living in Chicago....
This is how you know it is winter in Chicago - when there's a news story about falling ice and the threat to pedestrians.
You know it is summer when they talk about old people who died in their overheated apartments.
Cruel - yes, but nature is cruel.
Putting out a sign DOES NOT limit the buliding owner's liability. You can still sue their ass off for building/operating a buliding that creates an unsafe environment for passers-by. The signs saying "we're not responsible, watch out, ect" are inexpensive ways to keep stupid people from exercising their legal rights.
DC has skyscrapers?
well.. tall buildings..
My mom used to work at the Sears Tower, and one day, this would have been 15-20 years ago, during the winter a co-worker went out for lunch and was two or three people behind a guy who had the misfortune of having a large piece of ice remove his head from the rest of his body. My mom's co-worker was freaked out because he let that guy walk out of the building before him. Of course, I'd be freaked out too if I saw that.
that is so horrible!!! but what can you really do about it!? it seems like nothing.. try to be a little more aware but when the jig is up, it's up!
Chicagoist capitalizes on a great idea for a photo collection once again. i was thinking about this earlier this week... the lack of a large market means that there is such a variety of "home-made" falling ice signs on the streets, no standardization whatsoever.
speaking of signs, what's up with the front of the "new" sun-times/holiday inn building? it reads Su -Times (or at least it did as of yesterday evening). like a gas station sign or something... someone should get that guy with the long metal pole to come fix it.
It looks like people at The Tribune read your blog as today's paper has a story on the Great Ice Warnings:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0501280060jan28,1,872377.story?coll=chi-news-hed
Buildings with falling ice should install melters on the offending ledges so that people do not get killed/injured anymore. I'm surprised that the city and building managers haven't caught on to this yet.
i agree with many of these comments and think its very dangerous
i agree with many of these comments and think its very dangerous
sports illustrated Probaly you should read this. sports illustrated Hope this helps. See you next life
sports illustrated Probaly you should read this. sports illustrated Hope this helps. See you next life
sports illustrated Probaly you should read this. sports illustrated Hope this helps. See you next life