Laval resident taking city of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue to court over boardwalk fall

Thursday was the first time Ayda Unlusoy had been back to the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue boardwalk since the incident.

She says stepping onto the wooden steps is emotional and difficult.

Back in August 2019, Unlusoy says she fell because of a dislodged plank on the boardwalk.

According to her, she suffered a fracture and had to wear a sling for several weeks.

Almost three years later, she says, she still undergoes physiotherapy treatments for the injury, and still has pain.

“The pain was terrible,” said Unlusoy. “I couldn’t sit down, I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t lay down.”

Unlusoy says she’s visited the boardwalk more times than she could count over the past four decades.

She wanted the city to take accountability for the incident, but she says, when she was told that the fall was her own fault, she resorted to legal action.

“The city of Sainte-Anne has a duty to maintain this boardwalk and keep it safe for the people who go on it and it did not abide by this duty,” said her lawyer, Patrick Martin-Ménard.

The 80-year-old is seeking $85,000 in damages.

The trial will begin on Wednesday and is expected to last a few days.

Global News reached out to the city, but did not receive comment before deadline.

Unlusoy says she plans on coming back to the boardwalk again someday, but wants the lawsuit to be resolved first.

“It was one of the favourite spots and then it became a focal point of your pain,” she said. “So it’s quite the contradiction.”