Gilbert park's concrete slide has caused broken ankles. Now residents want it gone

A concrete slide at Gilbert Regional Park is the source of broken ankles and legs that have residents raising the alarm that it should be removed.

Since its installment four years ago, up to six people have been injured. Three of them have filed for monetary compensation for their injuries.

In the three claims, residents made similar comments that they were unable to control their speed as they went down the slide which caused a forceful impact as they landed.

The town received its first claim back in 2021 and most recently received another one in January.

“Gilbert cares about the safety of our playground equipment and visitors to our Town-owned parks. When notified of injuries, the Town investigates the circumstances surrounding the injury to determine the cause,” town spokesperson Kailey Latham wrote in a statement to The Arizona Republic.

Latham did not answer questions regarding the removal of the slide and instead stated that playground equipment was installed and designed with industry standards and that it is routinely inspected by its park rangers.

In June 2021, the Gilbert Parks and Recreation Department installed additional signage stating the slide is for children ages five through 12 and a plastic barrier at the top of the slide to limit sliders to one at a time. Additional woodchips for padding have been added, Latham wrote.

However, Michael Woodhall told The Republic the slide needs to go. His wife Yin Woodhall was injured in 2021 and broke her ankle after she went down the slide.

The couple filed a claim to the town asking for $5,000 to help pay for medical bills and recoup from lost salary months out of work.

Michael said he eventually settled with the town for $1,000 which he called a “slap in the face.”

Yin Woodhall went down the slide after her son and she landed she screamed in pain, Michael said. He rushed her to the emergency room where they did a scan of her leg and found Yin’s right ankle broken.

She was out of work for six months and had to use a knee scooter to move around, Michael said.

Michael said his wife hasn’t fully recovered and that the injury has been life-changing. “Now she’s not able to run and continue those activities with our son,” he said.

2 more residents ask the town for nearly $170,000 in claims

The two residents broke their ankles three years apart at the same slide in Gilbert.

In December, Cory Clever went down the slide after his three-year-old daughter during a visit to the park.

“I could not believe the speed of the slide and was unable to slow myself before hitting the dirt and breaking my ankle in three places,” he told the Town Council at a meeting in February.

Clever said he had not been cleared to work Since then he has not been able to work and has used sick leave.

He asked the town and council to remove the slide from the park to prevent potential future injuries.

He filed a claim in January demanding $19,480 to settle his claim to make up for lost pay. His claim remains open, the town confirmed.

Three years prior, Kaycee Schultz visited the park with her three grandchildren and daughter-in-law in March 2021, the notice of claim states.

Both Schultz and her daughter-in-law went down the slide one at a time.

“It felt like I flew down the slide at a very high rate of speed and then was abruptly discharged from the slide causing me to forcefully impact the ground,” Schultz wrote in her claim.

When she hit the ground, she was in “extreme pain and unable to stand” and had to be carried to the car.

Three days after the injury, she underwent surgery to put the broken bones back in place, the claim states. At the time of the claim, she wrote that she had amassed about $155,000 in medical bills.

For loss of wages and medical bills, she demanded the town compensate her $150,000.

Schultz's claim was denied and closed, according to the town.

Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek and can be reached at [email protected] or 480-271-0646. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @maritzacdom.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Gilbert residents say concrete slide has to go after multiple injuries