ELK GROVE, Calif. — After a woman broke her leg on a play structure, the City of Elk Grove considered safety improvements at a playground that had been open for two weeks.
"Right when we got there, I noticed a big hill and I was like, 'Huh, that seems a little high," explained Jolene Ayala, a parent and daycare owner.
On the first day it opened, Ayala and her wife took their daycare kids and their own children to a new playground in Elk Grove within the Preserve at District 56. She said their fun day turned into a painful one after she and her son trekked up a play structure that resembled a grassy hill.
"It is, I would say, 15-20 feet high and about a 45-degree angle when you're falling, so my right foot went and I slid down the hill," she explained. "With all my weight on my left leg, I knew right away that it was bad."
Ayala's tibia bone was broken in five places. Since then, she says said she had been immobile, stuck in her bed and unable to work while her wife cared for her.
"We decided to let the daycare go," she explained. "We don’t know how the future’s going to look and the doctor said my leg will never be 100%. We have zero income now."
The Elk Grove City Managers' office told ABC10 in a statement:
“While the playground passed a state safety inspection as designed, the City is considering making some additional safety improvements. Details and a timetable for those changes are not yet available.”
When an ABC10 crew spoke with parents at the playground, all said they thought the park was great but also saw the risk.
"Parents should keep a close eye when they're playing on the hill specifically, also in general," said Susanna Israel, an Elk Grove parent. "I personally think it’s really cool. This is the best park I’ve seen in a while."
Ayala told ABC10 she had begun seeking legal advice to build a case against the city, but that no attorney had been interested in taking her on as a client. Ayala said lawyers were unwilling to go up against the City of Elk Grove.
Ayala, a mother to three children, said a friend started a GoFundMe for her and her family to help them through the next few months as she recovered. In the meantime, she said she was glad the city would be taking action, but hoped it would be before the park’s grand opening celebration on Saturday.
"I'm hoping that something's done before anybody else gets hurt," she said.
