I always used to walk around those sidewalk grills and elevator lids when I was in NYC. If one of them gave way, your family could sue the owners—like you read about all the time in the papers—but that would be small comfort if you were dead.
“I always used to walk around those sidewalk grills and elevator lids...”
I still do. It’s an infrastructure problem, and it’s only partly related to her being so heavy. I’d hear about something like this happening every so often, so just chose to avoid risks where not completely necessary. But things like this will worsen, especially in places like New York, before they get better, because when we’re spending public money supporting those who can’t or won’t support themselves, we’re not spending it on supporting the infrastructure: bridges, sidewalks, roads, et cetera, let alone improving it.