A Montreal man is getting $15,000 from the city after he fell on a slippery sidewalk on Queen Mary Rd. two winters ago.
Jean-Michel Tuchscherer, 72, fell on the sidewalk during the post-New Year's ice storm of 2015, even though he was wearing a set of crampons — the steel grips that are supposed to provide traction in especially icy conditions.
Earlier this fall, the Quebec Court ruled the city committed an error in neglecting to put in place a plan to spread abrasives on Jan. 4, 2015, when the ice storm hit. Instead, the borough's plan prioritized snow removal over spreading abrasives.
Tuchscherer told the court that when he ventured out onto Queen Mary Rd. the day after the storm, on Jan. 5, the street was completely icy, and described the surface as being as "hard as metal".
His crampons, apparently, were not able to penetrate the surface of the ice.
At one point, he lost his balance and fell on his right hand, breaking his wrist.
Tuchscherer is a retired music professor who plays the organ and harpsichord, and continues to supervise doctoral students at the University of Montreal.
The broken wrist, he says, left him unable to play, or do much of anything at the time — and he also says some complications set in after surgery.
Judge Sylvie Lachapelle with the Quebec Court awarded Tuchscherer the maximum allowed in a small claims court — $15,000, plus interest.