Blind man sues after failing to see written sign warning that balcony outside his room had been removed

A German construction site manager is being sued after he removed the balcony from a man's second-storey room in a home for the blind, then put up a written warning sign. The resident later crashed to the ground.

"I heard a noise, and then I can't remember anything," said blind, wheelchair-bound Klaus Ohlmeier in court. "I'm glad it didn't come out any worse." The 64-year-old suffered internal bleeding and broke several ribs in the fall onto the path below.


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The accident happened in August 2010 after a construction firm renovating the building in Blindheim removed all the balconies from one side. The company initially replaced the balconies with wooden planks for safety, "but we had to remove them to insulate the blind people's home," said the site manager named only as Patrick B. "There was a sign,” he added.

The balcony doors were only secured with a thin strip of metal, and reportedly still easy to open. "I need a lot of fresh air," Ohlmeier told the court. "The home management told me that the balconies were missing, but not even my carer told me that it was really dangerous." Patrick B. is now being sued for injury resulting from negligence. "I didn't want anything to happen," the 38-year-old testified.