"Arm and Cheekbone Both Broken" Woman Slips on Moss-Covered Path Shares Her Story

Neglected Sidewalks Overgrown with Moss... Slippery Like Ice After Monsoon Rains
Changwon City and Jinhae District Management Agencies Say, "No Public Facility Insurance, File Compensation Claim with the Government"

On the sidewalk in Pungho-dong, Jinhae-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam, where green moss has spread over the paving blocks, a woman in her 60s slipped and fell on this slippery sidewalk one night after the rain briefly stopped, resulting in fractures to her arm and cheekbone.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporters Kim Yong-woo, Hwang Choi-hyun-joo] “What should I do if I get injured walking on a poorly maintained pedestrian road?”

For Ms. Kim (60, female) living in Jinhae, Gyeongnam, misfortune struck after 9 p.m. on July 29. Her nighttime walk to the bus stop after visiting her daughter’s house was an ordinary routine, no different from usual.

The sidewalk next to the road in Pungho-dong, Jinhae-gu, Changwon City, where Ms. Kim had the accident, was merely soaked with the continuous monsoon rain of the past few days. No one would worry about walking on a sidewalk meant for pedestrians. Walking without any precaution, she collapsed after only a few steps.

The moment she thought the pedestrian road felt like a slippery ice rink or an oily surface was already a fleeting memory as she fell. Her wrist was fractured. Her face hit the ground, fracturing her cheekbone, and the bone beneath the broken cheekbone was also fractured, causing serious injuries.

The reason Ms. Kim mistook the sidewalk she slipped on for an “ice rink” or “oily floor” became clear the next day when her daughter (38, Park) visited the scene.

Green moss had spread across the surface of the road, which had been completed for almost two years. Weeds peeked through the gaps between the paving blocks, and the green moss had spread along the sidewalk like a “virus.”

If the long monsoon rains nurtured this moss, can the danger of this sidewalk really be ignored?

Ms. Park said, “It’s hard to see this as a simple accident caused by someone’s carelessness because the rain-soaked path was too dangerous.”

“I took photos of everything. No matter how long the monsoon lasted, it’s hard to understand why green moss would spread on a path that many people use,” she sighed.

There is an intersection nearby, and the path to the bus stop is frequented by many pedestrians, including children. According to the relevant authorities, another resident had also filed a complaint after slipping on this sidewalk like Ms. Kim.

An official from Jinhae-gu, responsible for managing this sidewalk, said, “That road is not covered by the public facility liability insurance, so the only way is to file a compensation claim against the state.”

While somewhat acknowledging management responsibility, the official added, “You can’t put up warning signs on every road when it rains,” implying that the pedestrian’s carelessness was to blame. The Changwon City official in charge gave a nearly identical response.

Public facility liability insurance is a system where the local government compensates for accidents caused by facilities such as roads, bridges, and railings managed by the state or public institutions. For example, if a pedestrian is injured due to broken paving blocks, the victim can claim compensation from the facility’s managing entity.

Since the insurance is not in place, Ms. Kim cannot benefit from it. She must apply for compensation through the State Compensation Committee and endure a lonely fight until the prosecution’s final compensation decision to receive some damage compensation.

Ms. Kim was hospitalized for 13 days from the night of the ‘misfortune,’ underwent several surgeries, and is currently undergoing treatment and rehabilitation. The hospital bills were a heavy burden. She also had to quit her steady job as a caregiver.

Ms. Park said, “Both my mother and I live busy lives and face financial difficulties, so going through the state compensation claim process is a huge burden.”

Whether to blame the moss growing on the sidewalk’s paving blocks or the monsoon rains that made the moss more slippery, the managing authorities remain indifferent, and the two women’s sighs grow longer with the “kind” answer that the state will partially compensate.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.