Vibeke Mortensen (52) was on her way home from her former workplace, when she suddenly heard the sound of an unusual movement directly above her.
From the roof of a 5-storey building in Jens Bjelkes gate in Oslo, a half-metre block of ice slid straight down towards her.
It didn’t take long before the ice hit Mortensen squarely in the head and her life was never the same again.
In March, it will be 14 years since the accident.
– Completely in shock
Before the accident, Mortensen worked as a police officer at the Greenland police station in Oslo.
– It was a job with a lot of speed and excitement, Mortensen tells Dagbladet.
She has not been able to work as normal since the accident in 2010.
It was difficult to get around with public transport in Oslo on 24 January, as a result of the weather chaos. Video: Jenny Emilie Aas Show more
The 52-year-old says that she was completely in shock after the large lump of ice hit her in the head. She remembers going weak in the knees but not collapsing.
Two men from a car on the other side of the road applied paper to stop the profuse bleeding, while a passing lady called for an ambulance.
Mortensen was taken straight to the emergency department where she was examined. She had two large cuts on her head and had to have 27 stitches in total.
A LOT OF BLOOD: The nurses had to wash away large amounts of blood from Vibeke Mortensen’s face after the accident. Photo: Private Show more
A lot of pain
The new everyday life after the accident consisted of a lot of pain and adjustments.
Mortensen has never managed to get back to work after the accident. She tried to work a bit at the police station, but never managed more than two or three days because of the pain.
She ended up being 100 per cent sick leave and has been disabled for the past eight years.
– I began to realize that I was unable to do things in the same way as before and had to learn to live in a completely different way, she adds.
POLICE: Vibeke Mortensen worked as a police officer at the Greenland police station in Oslo before the accident. Photo: Private Show more
Today, Mortensen finds joy in other things, despite the fact that her life has changed completely since the day the accident happened. She sings in a local church choir and has been the team manager for her son’s American football team for the past two seasons.
– Exactly that has been very positive, says Mortensen.
Warns others
Mild weather and plus temperatures mean that wet and heavy snow can slide off the roofs. Mortensen will now warn others against the danger of roof collapse.
She urges people to be extra careful when moving under buildings with a lot of snow and ice on the roofs, especially in the mild winter weather.
– It is very scary to think that it could happen to anyone. You usually don’t walk around thinking that something is going to fall on your head, she tells Dagbladet.
CLOSED: The pavement is closed in Bogstadveien due to the risk of a roof collapse. Photo: Bendik Hansen / Dagbladet Show more
– Ice danger flags do not help
Housing associations and housing cooperatives have the same responsibility as landlords to remove snow and ice from the roofs before it falls with the risk of injuring people on public pavements outside the outer wall.
The interest organization The National Association of Norwegian Housing Associations (NBBL) has members from both forms of ownership.
– Neither the housing associations nor the condominiums are exempt from liability even if signs, flags or pennants are hung on the wall with “Danger for ice”, says lawyer Line CB Bjerkek in NBBL to Dagbladet.
CLUBS OF ICE FROM THE ROOF: Parts of the pavement in Frydenlundgata on St. Hanshaugen in Oslo blocked by rubbish bins marked “Ras” and barrier tape. Chunks of ice from the roof on the 5th floor were strewn in the walkway. Photo: Øystein Andersen / Dagbladet Show more
The boards of the housing associations and condominiums are responsible for snow and ice being removed from the roofs, or protected with snow traps, before it falls down and can cause damage.
– It is each individual resident or unit owner who is responsible for clearing snow from their own balcony or veranda onto the public pavement. Then there will be an assessment of where the snow should be moved when it has come down to ground level. According to the regulations, balcony snow or other snow must not obstruct traffic, says lawyer Line CB Bjerkek.
2024-01-29 17:09:17
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