O_o

There is an empty lot for sale right across from the school my daughter attends.  The real estate agency in charge of the sale recently placed barricades and NO PARKING signed across the entrance because teachers and parents have been using it as a parking lot (and apparently that is not conductive to keeping in the kind of shape you might actually sell it in).

Today, as I was walking my daughter to school, I noticed that one of the boards had fallen off.  Not a small board, but an actually rather big, heavy board, and it had fallen into the middle of the sidewalk, blocking the path where the kids (mine included) need to walk each day to get to school.  Ahead of me, I saw two kids walking, not around, but over the board.  On it.  Kids will do that sort of thing.

As I get closer, I can see four nails sticking out of the board, two on each end. 

The farmer's daughter in my immediately noted that the mails were neither long enough nor thick enough to hold the weight of the board and -- hello, hazard waiting to happen! 

The mother in me immediately remembers the two kids walking over the fallen board and envisions all the others who might have thought of it.  and then I get visions of kids stepping on the nails, for -- this afternoon when they are racing home and not watching what they are doing, like they always are -- falling and taking a nail in the arm... leg... hand... eye. 

Hello lawsuit waiting to happen!

I borrowed my friend's cell phone to call the agent listed on the sign and got her voice mail.  Then I dutifully memorized the agency's phone number a well and called them as soon as I got home.  I also called the school, to let them know because I had seen kids walking on it and because the real estate agency could simply 'forget' to have someone look into it. 

My friend and I did try to move it ourselves, but it was somewhat on the heavy side and we both had kids in strollers and she had a baby in a sling on her chest, as well. 

Hopefully, someone from the agency will come and take care of it and also, hopefully, the school will address it with the kids. They don't need to getting hurt.