Yes, very sorry to hear that, @cakeisgreat! There is some decent voice-activated software out there for folks who can’t use a keyboard. My husband lost the use of his left hand for about a year after a brain injury, and while the program could be frustrating to use, it was better than trying to type with one hand.
I hope your DD recovers quickly. Safe travels!
Thanks guys!! Thank God it’s not her writing hand. But the professors better be accommodating when she has her surgery since she fell on school grounds…walkway was not salted enough I guess. Apparently other people were slipping in that area also.
@cakeisgreat - I’m so sorry to hear about your D’s fall! Those walkways can be so dangerous in winter.
My S shredded his meniscus Fall of his freshman year and had to have surgery. I got a hotel room for the week and he stayed with me after the surgery. He hated hobbling around campus on crutches and missing a week of class, but everything worked out in the end.
I hope you’re able to stay with your D for awhile. Glad it’s not her writing hand. Wishing you safe travels and your D a smooth surgery and speedy recovery. Hugs to you and your D!
@cakeisgreat – fast healing thoughts for your D. I dread icy sidewalks and steps! I remember taking a tour of Miami Ohio and the tour guide telling us that the walkways on the quad were heated and thinking that that would have been a big selling point for me!
It’s freezing cold here and we’re supposed to have some inclement weather Sunday evening. I’m just glad that DD has a teacher workday on Monday if that happens because I don’t want to shovel or deal with ice, LOL. DH usually handles that but he is away on a boys’ weekend for the Super Bowl.
I wish for a fast recovery for your D @cakeisgreat .
@cakeisgreat - so sorry to hear of this! I’m sure missing a week of class is also very stressful. When I was first married I slipped on ice and fell on my elbow on the sidewalk and I know how much that hurts. I’m sure they’ll just be happy you don’t sue them…hoping for a fast healing for your daughter.
@cakeisgreat - Hope the surgery goes well for your DD and wishing her a quick recovery! Safe travels to you too!
@cakeisgreat Best wishes for you DD. We also just learned of a bad health situation with my D so I can totally sympathize. it’s really scary and frustrating not to be able to be there with the to give hugs and help!
Thanks everyone! Yes I never saw this coming! Definitely would not think of suing but I wonder if I should ask them for medical cost reimbursements…it’s going to be pricey with the casts, surgery, pt, etc. Is that appropriate? I would not have thought it if she was horsing around and hurt herself, but she clearly slipped on the sidewalk. other kids were slipping that day as well but of course my kid takes the prize lol. What do you guys think?
Is it a public school or a private school? If public, you may have to sue the state which requires special notice within certain time frames.
You can ask, and they will refer you to a claims department, but I don’t think you have much of a case. Sidewalks are icy when it is snowing. Question would be if the school took reasonable steps to prevent accidents, to clear walkways, to put out sand or de-icer.
Thanks @twoinanddone. Those are done good points. It’s a private school. I’m not sure how much salt they put on the sidewalk but many kids were slipping. It’s was a highly used walkway. Never had to deal with anything like this before. I’ll look into their manuals. I thought it might be treated like a workers comp thing or like if someone fell on our sidewalk, wouldn’t our house insurance cover the bills? If there are options we don’t know about that might be helpful, that would be great.
Do you live where there’s a decent winter @cakeisgreat ? Unfortunate as it is, there’s no way any institution (school, shopping center, even medical facility) can completely de-ice a walkway when temps are low and it is snowing. Yes, many people slip, but the alternative (to close school every time somebody might fall to avoid claims) isn’t an acceptable alternative. It’s snowing here today. As is typical, temps will drop to below zero. Even with salt, it’s impossible to melt and clear all the walks until the temps rise. I suspect you’ll be told you won’t have a case and it’ll be gently suggested that this is why students are supposed to have insurance.
In places where it snows, you’re not responsible for ice accidents on your sidewalk as long as you have followed city ordinances about clearing (24 hours after the snowfall ends).
My son is at school where it snows regularly and he has commented that the paths are not cleared properly. The university posts signs something to the effect of “No winter maintenance”. I saw one of the signs on the university’s alum Facebook page last month and wondered if the signs were posted to avoid potential lawsuits. The weather hasn’t changed since I attended the same school, and there weren’t signs back then. We just lived in Bean boots for six months, even wearing them to parties and bars.
Of course, I am hoping he is wearing the huge Timberland boots I bought him and not trying to navigate wearing skateboard sneakers!
@cakeisgreat – VERY sorry to hear of your daughter’s injury. I can’t imagine adding that to my ‘worry’ list for freshman year.
My employer has had to post “no sledding” signs and remove trays rom the dining hall. They claim it’s "green’ but students used to borrow them and use them for sleds.
@ordinarylives – we called that ‘Traying’, but I doubt the name was original. HUGE, steep hill from Arts Quad that ended in a road between bottom of hill and freshman campus. Students had to roll off the trays to keep from careening into the road.
Thanks guys and the info @ordinarylives. Ds school is in the northeast so yes to snow. I think then we’ll just not sweat it and thank God we have insurance! I tell ya…18 years we raised her unscathed, and I let her go for a few months lol!
I do think I’m going to buy her a better pair of snow boots tho! Does anyone have any suggestions on good but fashionable snow boots with lots of traction?
All the kids around here swear by Bean boots. Sorels are good too. Bean boots are backlogged to April last I heard though.
Someone with more current advice should weigh in, but I survived the four years of college wearing Bean boots. I had to replace my high school version halfway through college, but I still have the college pair today. Having said that, the rubber seems to conduct the cold, so a liner of some sort would be helpful.
Looks like they are still backordered. I think they have become ‘fashionable’ again these past few years. I noticed girls wearing them a few years ago. If they sell extra laces, you may want to order a pair of those. I never wore them laced to the top, but instead would wrap the lace around the back and knot in front partway down the boot. I don’t recall if that was fashion or comfort-based, but I find myself still doing so when I wear them these days.
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/35477?page=womens-llbean-boots-8
Yep, bean boots. It’s what I wear for scooping and what we bought d in November when she expressed a need for “legit” snowboots with great traction.
I’m a huge LL Bean fan and own Bean boots, but unless you’re buying the shearling-lined ones, they’re not warm enough for the coldest winter months if you’re going to be out-of-doors for any length of time.
UGG Adirondacks are pricey, but they’re very warm and the footbed can be replaced. I’ve had a pair for a couple of years and they should easily outlive me. 
http://www.uggaustralia.com/women-boots/adirondack-boot-ii—leather/5469.html