Suit: Boy Falls After Landlords Ignore Complaints About Windows
(CBS) -- A Gary, Ind. boy suffered traumatic injuries after falling out a public housing complex window, and now his mother is suing the Gary Housing Authority and a property management firm.
The boy's mother, Gia Melton, says she continuously asked for the windows to be fixed.
She cries while reliving the moment her 7-year-old son fell three stories out of a Gary Housing Authority apartment window. In June of last year, her son tried to open this window. The window knocked him from the room, onto the ground below, Melton says.
She says she called the Gary Housing Authority and PK Management numerous times to tell them the windows weren't working properly.
"They just never, ever did anything about it," Melton says.
On Tuesday, CBS 2 saw at least eight windows at the complex with towels or other material stuffed into the top areas.
"That was to keep the windows from falling," Melton explains.
One tenant says one window fell inward during a heavy rain.
Today, Melton's son walks with a brace and has learned again how to talk. He still requires weekly treatment for neurological problems.
"If you have a property and you see towels in a third of the windows, how could you not know, there's a problem?" Melton's attorney, Cannon Lambert, Sr., says.
PK Management tells CBS 2 all maintenance related complaints are addressed promptly and all of the building windows are now being replaced.
"While we are unable to comment on matters that are currently in litigation, all should know that the safety and well-being of the residents of Gary NSA III is our highest priority, and that we address all maintenance-related complaints promptly. We are hopeful that Ms. Melton and her son are doing well," a statement given to CBS 2 said.
