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Read the press release here.

'Dangerous' Slide Replaced at Indian Road Playground

By Farran Powell | August 8, 2012 10:23am

INWOOD — A new slide at Indian Road playground in Inwood Hill Park was recently installed by the Parks Department months after a manufacturer recall prompted the department to swap out the old one for safety reasons.

The new slide, which includes more safety features with a transition platform and rails along the side of the chute, was installed on Monday, officials said.

"The last one was really swirly and was really dangerous," said 24-year-old Yely Salido about the playground's former plastic slide, which resembled a tongue.

Friends of Indian Road Playground, a volunteer group of Inwood parents, reviewed the slide before its installation to address concerns about safety features to prevent children from falling and injuring themselves.

"The company was obligated to design and provide a new slide that would work at the site, " said Philip Abramson, a spokesman for the Parks Department.

Manufacturer Landscape Structure recalled the slide called the "Slalom Glider" in February 2012 after accident reports blamed the slide for its lack of a top transition platform and side railings. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission received more than 16 reports of injuries nationwide that resulted from the Slalom slide. 


The Minnesota manufacturer provided a new slide for the playground that features a straight slide with an upper platform and side rails to remedy previous complaints.



Parents of children who frequent the playground were aware of the slide before its removal and its potential dangers to small children. Parks staff posted warning signs about proper usage of the slide in 2010 after the playground re-opened from its $1.4 million renovation.

Although most parents said they are happy with the new slide and its improved safety measures, some parent say it's still not enough since the steps to the new slide lack side rails.



"The slide is great," said Tony Thompson, 43, a Bronx resident who takes his two kids to the Indian Road playground. "It's just the steps on the way up."