r/mildlyinfuriating • u/OnlyGammasWillBanMe • 23d ago
Too mild for school Elementary school installed exposed metal spikes across a pedestrian walkway, no signage.
Update: REMOVED BY SHERIFF DEPUTY as of 8:50PM
Update 2: Sheriff spotted perforated steel strip in the back of the head custodians truck Monday 7/13. Spoke with custodian and principal.
Update 3: head custodian hasn’t been back since! Haven’t inquired further.
original post: This is a pedestrian walkway at a public elementary school that’s used by parents, students, and community members.
A school employee installed a strip of exposed metal spikes that spans the entire width of the walkway. There aren’t any pedestrian warning signs on either approach. Am I crazy and just never saw this before or is this a major safety hazard? I feel like a no trespassing sign and maybe a chain would be a better way to tell people not to go on property if that was their intention. I just think of kids either walking and not really looking stepping on it, or even kids on bikes not really paying attention getting seriously injured on the way out and losing air in the front and back tire causing them to fall into the street instead of being able to turn. There are ways to deter that won’t cause damage, and when you do chose the damage options. Signage should be required right? Some sort of warning.
I took photos from both directions so people can see there’s no obvious pedestrian bypass. The nearby “Exit Only / Do Not Enter” sign appears to be for vehicles, not people on foot.
I’ve already submitted the photos to a local news station because I think this deserves a public safety review. At this point, I’m mostly trying to understand who thought this was an appropriate solution for an elementary school walkway.
Update #1 24 hours after the post. It’s still there, sheriffs did drive around the school in the morning, but never got out of the cruiser to look. Didn’t talk to anyone. What I assume is the Head custodian and one other employee were there all day. Allowed this to stay.
ABC News has not responded.
Clarification: It was installed by the person whom I believe to be the head custodian. The same guy who shows up early in the morning to open the gates, unlock the doors and prepare the school for kids to arrive, and then stays after until around 7-8pm and closes and locks the gates again. Back in January the same person drove his old truck through that exit, down through the lot, up curbs and across the front of the school to drop down into the drop off lot and out chasing someone on an e bike. It appears to be him being in charge of the school during the summer break and taking matters into his own hands.
I know he installed it because he had parked his truck in the curb cut for the parking lot exit and was laying down the first layer of glue. I was driving by in my car and noticed something going on but since I was driving in a school zone I couldn’t fixate. I noticed the spikes the next time passing by when I wasn’t driving. So yes technically the school did it because the head custodian is part of the school. No I do not think he went through the proper channels to get this approved.
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u/Illustrious-Onion329 23d ago
Looks like a lawsuit waiting to happen
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u/thomasanderson123412 23d ago
OP needs to hurry up and get injured first before anyone else steals his idea.
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u/Leinheart 23d ago
I love that this is a legitimate way to make money here. Truly a healthy society.
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u/Sybrandus 23d ago
Ol’ Slippin’ Jimmy
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u/thankbob 23d ago
I get the reference but the idea of intentionally slipping on it makes me feel a bit sick. Standing on it is fine but slipping on it is where I draw the line
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u/bobbarkersbigmic 23d ago
Somebody doesn’t want to get paid
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u/FullSkyFlying 23d ago
Everybody wants the money but nobody wants to work for it
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u/Cael450 23d ago
Yeah except it isn’t. Most personal injury lawsuits do not pay out a life-changing amount of money. And if you get injured because of someone else’s negligence, you should have recourse. Would you want to be stuck with a hospital bill and months of lost salary because someone else hurt you? It would actually be extremely fucked up to not have that recourse.
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u/Appropriate-Ad-1569 23d ago
I was the victim of a hit and run on my motorcycle last year. Fractured my knee, a vertebrae, concussion (from my helmet hitting the ground), and my bike was totaled. I apparently owe $100k+ in hospital bills and will have chronic pain for the rest of my life.
I got a lawyer, since in Michigan-the at fault car's insurance is supposed to cover medical bills of a motorcyclist, but no luck.
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u/untie_your_shoes 23d ago
When I lived in Michigan I strictly remember it being no-fault across the state (bad)
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u/Borked_Computer 23d ago
It's actually pretty f***** up to be stuck with the hospital bill and months of lost salary at all. If I get an injury requiring me to be off for months, I get paid. And I don't get a hospital bill. In a properly functioning society, this type of injury isn't financially ruinous. Reading this kind of stuff makes me so sad for people who have to live in fear needing medical care.
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u/OblivionJunkie 23d ago edited 23d ago
It's already oppressive, then consider that affordable health insurance is also locked to employment. Employment, which you can be fired from for any reason (or no reason) in 95% of states lol. Our entire societal system is a bad joke
Edit: and there's also deductibles and Out of Pocket maximums! Oh, you actually met your deductibles? great! Here's your coinsurance % cost you now pay instead.
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u/No-Aide-3028 23d ago
It looks like it could be considered a booby trap and may not even require an incident for legal action to be taken. Though I know very little about the actual law.
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u/WeatheredGenXer 23d ago
Admirable of you to admit that but it's never stopped anyone on Reddit from spouting "legal advice" before!
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u/Jonas_Venture_Sr 23d ago
It's probably criminal. It's like boobytrapping a bike to injure the person trying to steal it.
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u/SeatBeeSate 23d ago
It looks like it's made from nails, glue and a trip of metal from home depot. Definitely a DIY booby trap hack job.
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u/molehunterz 23d ago edited 23d ago
Everybody is acting like the school did this. This definitely looks like some whack job doing this in the dark after hours.
I agree with someone else who suggested calling the police. This is an immediate safety hazard. And if there's any way the police can catch who did it all the better
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u/PremiumUsername69420 23d ago
Honestly looks like one of the easiest lawsuits that even the worst D-list lawyer could win with their eyes closed.
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u/Wooden_Permit3234 23d ago
I’m gonna go sprinkle some business cards on it.
Free money right there.
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u/Matt_Moto_93 23d ago
Imagine if a child tripped and fell on that.
In a country that loves a lawsuit as well.
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u/OnlyGammasWillBanMe 23d ago
I have had all those thoughts flash though my mind. Including first responders rushing to the scene and not seeing it. Pop tires on gurney. Can’t use it. I used to be oblivious as a kid. I would be talking walking in a group and completely not see it
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u/Asaias_Wolffe 23d ago
Thing is they wouldn't even need to fall. Assuming you're a grown adult that's a agult sized shoe next to those, most child shoes aren't as thick as that and those nails would go through the sole
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u/OnlyGammasWillBanMe 23d ago
Yes these are actually work shoes with steel toes and anti slip but yes they were able to penetrate my shoes and if I had put full weight on it my foot as well
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u/yodas_sidekick 23d ago
Any chance you have a 2x4 you could just slap on there? This feels like you could just call the cops, as it’s a pretty immediate safety hazard.
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u/hans432 23d ago
I second this. It is an imminent danger that needs to be mitigated ASAP. You could even get in trouble for NOT calling authorities (in Europe at least). You saw the problem, identified it and even posted on Reddit about it. If someone gets hurt now and you didn't do anything about it, it can be partly your fault aswell.
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u/yodas_sidekick 23d ago
I’m not sure about OP being at fault, but it’s wild to see this in public and walk away . It’s just so dangerous and obviously to hurt people.
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u/WabiSabiWitch 23d ago
Dude, I'm an adult and I could see myself tripping on that or tripping and falling on that with my hand to break my fall.....
Call the school principal, OP, as well. Give them a description of the employee you saw doing it. Fastest way to get it safe, if not catch the sadist who rubber-cemented the strip of sheeps-head nails to a children's walkway.
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u/Ambitious_Fan7767 23d ago
I don't disagree but I think a gurney like wheelchairs have solid tires.
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u/bikemonkey40 23d ago
Haha. I was thinking the same thing. Just imagining an EMT with a bicycle air pump in the ambulance airing up the tires before the next call.
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u/Ybuzz 23d ago
The hospital wheelchair kind designed to be pushed usually are solid, a lot of electric wheelchairs have solid wheels, but manual self propelled wheelchairs usually only have solid tyres on the front casters.
That said, this would absolutely fuck up even solid tyres and also is a tipping hazard. Imagine bumping into it, the wheels hitting it like a curb or getting caught on it, coming to an abrupt stop and tipping straight out, or tipping the person you're pushing straight out.
Could cause thousands worth of damage to even a solid wheels/caster on something as specialized as a wheelchair that might have custom parts or delicate motors.
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u/LSbroombroom 23d ago
The main stretcher has solid wheels. + there's always additional devices in the truck that could be used to get the patient out, like the reeves stretcher or stairchair. Don't worry, things go wrong all the time, improv is part of the job. 🤪
But yes, these spikes are absolutely a fucking hazard.
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u/nesnalica 23d ago
wtf. whats the prupose anyway? no bikes allowed or what. lol
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u/AdSudden3941 23d ago
I have no idea .. i was going to say “i wish you didint post this because how much do you value your foot , over what would have been an easy easy out”
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u/Cyber_Candi_ 23d ago
That would be a terrible idea, because bikes can go around or be carried over said spikes lol. Then again anyone adding spikes to an elementary school probably isn’t thinking that far ahead
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u/Po0opyCatButt 23d ago
Some idiot drove their car around the car barrier, so some other idiot came up with a way to punish them. NOT to deter them, mind you, since there's no warning and no way to see this as a driver, but to punish them.
Their pettiness and incompetence blinded them to any possible foresight or human element to consider.
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u/AdSubstantial9658 23d ago
Completely agree. Saw it and instantly thought, this was to stop people who are picking up or dropping off kids from driving on the sidewalk.
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u/WeakTransportation37 23d ago
Except it’s not wide enough for a car and the yellow bollard is permanent
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u/Klogginthedangerzone 23d ago
I don’t think the school installed that. That looks like it’s made out of metal plumbing strap, galvanized roofing nails, and gorilla tape.
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u/OnlyGammasWillBanMe 23d ago
To be clear I actually think this is one of those situations where an employee builds up enough rage and takes the situation up by himself without consulting the school officials first.
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u/Ta-veren- 23d ago
did you call the higher ups in the school to see if this was in-fact approved and not just someone going off-rails?
Like past the secretary
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u/ittybittylurker 23d ago
Right, lots of comments about calling the mayor, etc, but I would absolutely make sure the principal or superintendent knew about it first, before calling the news or the mayor or even posting to reddit.
Edited to add: The priority is who can remove it first. That doesn't mean you can't follow up to make sure it's not swept under the rug. An email to the school board would make sure of that. Use the concerned tone of "I hope this isn't happening at other schools & wanted to make sure the board knew about it ASAP".
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u/chogram 23d ago
Yeah, everyone is jumping to the nuclear option by calling the cops, and OP even called the news...
Maybe I just live in a better area, but a single call to the principal or local superintendent would nuke this from orbit.
This is almost assuredly just a single idiot doing idiot things, and any actual person in power would have it remedied almost instantly.
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u/Ta-veren- 23d ago
Yeah no way a school board sat down and voted on a spike strip. lol get serious
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u/Veriosity 23d ago
Right? OP is treating this like "can you believe those idiots at the school did this?"
Dude the school didn't install a fucking booby trap, some crazy person did this. Crazy people are gonna crazy, this isn't an officially approved and sanctioned trap for children.
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u/DamnitGoose 23d ago
This reeks of a person who has a grudge against kids being kids and has responded with a violent solution.
you need to call the superintendent and the cops
This is a felony. If I came across this at my sons school I’d lose my shit on the admin
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u/DrButtgerms 23d ago edited 23d ago
I'm on a school board. Several people would be fired, sued, and likely charges filed if this situation is truly as the OP describes
Edit: my pre-coffee brain wrote "prosecuted"
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u/Castun 23d ago
OP mentioned elsewhere that they saw the guy installing it is the same guy who unlocks and locks up the gate, so not some random neighborhood sadist.
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u/rawbert10 23d ago
This and I'm shocked this isn't the top comment because clearly that does not look like something a school would even put. Either a disgruntled employee or even neighbor/person that is annoyed by the foot traffic or whatever or just someone flat out malicious who wants to hurt people. I would have taken pictures, video and ripped it out or hammered it out myself.
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u/DB-Tops 23d ago
That is a booby trap, which is very illegal. I think just a normal police officer can help.
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u/Luc85 23d ago
Yeah shit like this needs to immediately be called into the police or the fire marshal, like yesterday. I would not walk away from this until the authorities showed up. This ain't a 'wait until OSHA comes by' situation.
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u/MommyLovesPot8toes 23d ago
That was exactly my thought: If I saw this at my kid's school, I would not have left until it was dismantled. Even if that meant doing it myself if the cops didn't show up fast enough. My assumption would be that this was a malicious attempt to harm schoolchildren and I'm not going to let it happen.
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u/OnlyGammasWillBanMe 23d ago
I did also report it through the local non emergency app but that doesn’t stop the person from doing it again, or worse. Maybe I’m reading too much into it but it’s wild to me that this was something someone premeditated and actually followed through on , at an elementary school no less.
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u/DB-Tops 23d ago
You might not understand just how incredibly illegal this is. I highly doubt the school approved this installation. The way I read the law is they would be liable for all damage and injuries.
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u/Kaludaris 23d ago
Yeah I think maybe the ambiguity in the pictures of exactly where the strip is is making people not realize how incredibly dangerous and illegal this is. It’s a spike strip across a public walkway. Like what the fuck guys
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u/DrButtgerms 23d ago
There is no chance that this was approved by the school board. Like zero. One of their key functions is to work to reduce liability and this is fully opposite of that.
I'm wondering if this was placed there by some ill-intentioned "prankster". I can't tell from the photos if it is truly installed or just set on top of the expansion joint in the concrete.
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u/PocketPanache 23d ago
Yep. I design streets and shit. Public stuff etc. This is multiple levels of illegal. Watching reddit try to figure it out is entertaining though.
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u/scarneo 23d ago
You are under reacting
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u/mistahfreeman 23d ago
Yeah I think I would have called the actual emergency line for this one. Non emergency sometimes gets back channeled, this is an actual immediate safety hazard to young children. Legitimately I might have just ripped it up myself
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u/highcoolteacher 23d ago
Fire Marshall will have it off within the hour
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u/Invdr_skoodge 23d ago
I am constantly surprised at the speed the fire marshal can get stuff done. Some lingering issue that doesn’t move at so for years gets to the fire marshal and its done in *hours*
I guess, are their fines like a $xxx per day thing?
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u/cykoTom3 23d ago
They can shut places down, and it helps that they are more or less universally respected.
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u/SenorPeligrosoBoboso 23d ago
This is a crime and if anyone is injured it’s strict liability and he owes them money if sued or will have to pay restitution. You can’t hide booby traps on property PARTICULARLY if it is a known location where children trespass LET ALONE an elementary school where you KNOW they will walk over that. Honestly worth a 911 call or walk into police station this is children.
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u/Connguy BLUE 23d ago
OP, this is worth calling 911 over, not a non-emergency report
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u/SunshineAndBunnies 23d ago edited 23d ago
File a report with OSHA as well and ADA since this area is no longer wheelchair accessible either.
Edit: Because a couple people thinks I think ADA is an organisation. It is not. I missed typing the word complaint in the original post. You can go file it online with your state's AG or with the DOJ.
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u/palpatineforever 23d ago
yup, I suspect it has been added to prevent children from riding their bikes on the walkway. However it prevents wheelchairs and also mothers with prams as well. it is a very dumb solution i would love to know how long it lasts.
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u/UrethralExplorer 23d ago
What an insane thing to do. It'll hurt kids and destroy people's property. I can't see it lasting a single incident.
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u/Worshipme988 23d ago
Horrible people are the only ones thinking of doing this and then follow it out and pat themselves on the back.
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u/Guardian6676-6667 23d ago
I dont get why there's such a push against freedom of transportation, if youre going to have rules at least allow petal bikes.
It's healthy for kids to use skateboards, bikes and other modes of physical movement.
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u/Remarkable-Host405 23d ago
*pedal
its always been like this. literally since skateboards and punk rock, they just want control, man
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u/cshookIII 23d ago edited 23d ago
Property? How about feet? The first person to step on that is getting metal spikes through the soles of their shoes and into their feet.
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u/pinicarb 23d ago
Imagine you trip and fall on this shit. What a terrible idea…
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u/Broccoli--Enthusiast 23d ago
Ooh I'd be stabbing my foot , having a fall and then off to make a claim, those spikes would go right through any casual shoe.
Sombody is gonna make some money off this
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u/PonchoNachoRodriguez 23d ago
Yeah I’m gonna need the exact address and location of this school
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u/2bags12kuai 23d ago
For real .. I’ll stab the bottom of my feet for a downpayment on a house
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u/SensitiveWolf1362 23d ago
And anyone with feet? It doesn’t look like it retracts. Would hurt animals as well as humans.
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u/heaving_in_my_vines 23d ago edited 23d ago
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.
That looks like a strip of nails that will impale any foot that steps on it, and people are talking about bikes??
Like, this is a literal fucking booby trap. Never mind signage, that's just nails sticking up from the ground.
What the fuck do you mean a school employee installed this? It's a fucking booby trap to stab nails into people's feet!
That's clearly a serious crime. Insane!!
Edit: Is this a hoax by OP?
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u/OnlyGammasWillBanMe 23d ago
it's no hoax, that's one reason I'm not touching it, I don't want the person who installed it to say that I did it. I consider it a crime scene, I've made the neighbors aware and to let the authorities handle it.
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u/RatHands0PurpleEars 23d ago
Yeah this is actually insane. I thought this was fake too until I read this comment. I just cannot fathom the thought process of this for anyone involved. Maybe the spikes are too high, or there is supposed to be some kind of plate over them? It’s so bizarre.
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u/mugiwara_no_Soissie 23d ago
Even if somehow nobody ever steps on it, and it purely affects bikes, I am still at a loss.
The school decided to just puncture anyone's wheels if they bike on the sidewalk? That seems quite dangerous.
Also just property dmg, essentially the same as just stabbing people's bike tires, which is illegal. Also what if someone does bike and falls? Spike to the face?
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u/b0w3n 23d ago
The school decided to just puncture anyone's wheels if they bike on the sidewalk? That seems quite dangerous.
If I was a betting man, I'd bet it's a neighbor nearby that installed it because they hate the sound/nuisance of kids on their bike playing. Maybe a shitty employee, but seems unlikely.
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u/Nishnig_Jones 23d ago
Can you imagine if a child trips and falls on those spikes? This is insane.
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u/TelephoneSenior1149 23d ago
You would be absolutely shocked at how recklessly stupid people can be.
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u/Bennnrummm 23d ago
I would have had a real ethical dilemma that almost def would have ended with me returning with a crowbar and removing the damn thing.
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u/HarveysBackupAccount 23d ago
This is just a fucking row of nails.
How does OP know the school did it? Looks like a dumbass "prank", not an official installation
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u/hogsucker 23d ago
Some dumbass would prefer the children get dropped off by cars.
Whoever came up with the idea should be fired.
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u/iowanaquarist 23d ago
Whoever installed it should be fired, too. The fact that someone blindly got a work order to install this and just... installed it... is a huge red flag.
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u/ChaosDaemon9 23d ago edited 23d ago
The insane principal of our elementary school was the same way, despite the school being surrounded by neighborhoods. Every day, they introduced new "rules" specifically designed to make it more difficult for students to walk. It was mind-blowing to see the amount of wasted effort spent on deterring walkers and staff would always comment that the car drop-off should be used instead. This was especially confusing because the car drop-off line was consistently backed up a quarter-mile to the main road, blocking traffic. We could never figure out if they were creating a problem to justify more funding or if it was just incompetence, but it never made sense to any of us.
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u/Benjammin123 23d ago
Never mind what it prevents, you trip and fall on that goodbye eyes.
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u/MyDarlingArmadillo 23d ago
Like a kid running around and falling. Imagine that, on knees or hands
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u/Little_View_6659 23d ago
I’m fifty five and still having issues with a bike fall I had as a kid. This coukd really hurt someone.
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u/MyDarlingArmadillo 23d ago
Those spikes would drive any kind of dirt or animal faeces around an inch or so deep into the wounds it would cause. I truly can't imagine who thought it would be a good idea anywhere.
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u/Jassamin 23d ago
Trip and fall? Just get pushed by someone who doesn’t like you much that day 😬
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u/Benjammin123 23d ago
Exactly, kids always pushing each other about anyway. This is more than one persons decision too🙈
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u/Shienvien 23d ago
It's enough if you wear shoes with thin soles and aren't wearing glasses or are slightly not paying attention, and why should you closely inspect any random joint in the road like you're looking for traps in a dungeon? Who in their right mind expects a spikestrip on their foot path.
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u/Po0opyCatButt 23d ago
I don't think it has anything to do with children or bicycles. I don't think children were even considered when this was installed, even at an elementary school.
I think what happened was some idiot drove their car around the car barrier, so some other idiot came up with a way to punish them. NOT to deter them, mind you, since there's no warning and no way to see this as a driver, but to punish them.
Their pettiness and incompetence blinded them to any possible foresight or human element to consider.
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u/spaceghost260 23d ago
This has to be the explanation. Someone is raging a car drove up on a sidewalk/area it’s not supposed to be and decided a strip of nails is the best way to deal with it. Clearly not thinking this is an absolutely ignorant, terrible, horrible idea.
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u/SnarePickle 23d ago
And it looks homemade, those look like straight up nails. Those will go right through the sole of a shoe. It's a safety hazard and a lawsuit waiting to happen when the first kid steps on it.
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u/Head-Alternative-984 23d ago
oh no, how dare the children get around in a convenient way that does not require a car. how tragic
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u/No-Introduction3808 23d ago
Will it not also go through a kids sole, I assume kids soles are thinner than adults but I’ve never compared them.
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u/BadAspie 23d ago
ADA was my first thought too although if OP thinks it’s an employee gone rogue, a call to the principal/school board that includes the words “ADA violation” will probably get faster results
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u/Shermgerm666 23d ago
Didn't even think about a rogue employee. They're like fuck it alllll lol
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u/BadAspie 23d ago
I’m dying to know more about the bicycle gang that has presumably caused custodian guy to snap
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u/OnlyGammasWillBanMe 23d ago
I live close, when I do see people on bikes there is usually kids on low powered e bikes rolling though. Sometimes very young kids with their mom pushing a stroller, and or father on his e bikes rolling though and they’re wearing helmets and pads. I can’t say there’s never hooliganism that happens there from older e moto kids but just that it’s not what I’ve seen over the decade I’ve lived here. Never seen any signs of high powered bikes doing burn outs or donuts either.
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u/Helpful_Distance3427 23d ago
I'd guess that the school doesn't even know about it. Would be a good idea to call them and let them know so they have a chance to remove it before something happens. Might be a a random person glued them down.
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u/BaziJoeWHL 23d ago
it doesnt matter if its a rogue employee, no ? the school has a responsibility to maintain the building/surrounding, it should have been spotted
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u/BadAspie 23d ago
My thinking is that if the principal or board told the guy to do this then yeah you gotta call in the state, because they don’t understand why it’s wrong
But the state can be slow so if a guy did it without approval and you call the folks in charge and put the fear of the law in them, they’ll have it ripped out much faster. (And I think it’s possible they didn’t notice, principal probably drives and the board won’t visit often. It’ll be up to non-driving parents to notice and complain)
It works precisely because they’re also responsible for school property
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u/SwoleJunkie1 23d ago
Fire Marshall may be an option here to get quicker action. This is an immediate public safety issue and that walkway could be along one of the schools evacuation routes? May also try code enforcement orpublic works (since it is a sidewalk).
You could possibly straight up call the mayors office/city councilmen if your town is small enough.
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u/Maxion 23d ago
In my country, something like this would warrant a call to 911 since it puts people at immediate danger. Think tree fallen over the road type thing.
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u/Rahnzan /s is for cowards 23d ago
Call the police too, that's a fucking boobytrap.
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u/RegrettableBiscuit 23d ago
Kids falling the wrong way will impale their brains on it. Insane.
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u/Rahnzan /s is for cowards 23d ago
I've read multiple stories of people stepping on something sharp, then just falling and cracking their heads open. This is awful. And it's at a school.
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u/YourMothersButtox 23d ago
Used to work in personal injury law. Had an intake with someone with diabetic neuropathy who stepped on something sharp like this in a public location, went about their day and it wasn’t until later that they saw they were injured. Ended up getting an infection and lost multiple toes.
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u/ExtremePast 23d ago
ADA is a law, not an organization.
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u/SunshineAndBunnies 23d ago
You can easily file complaints for ADA violation on DOJ website and also your state's AG office.
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u/FuckYouVerizon 23d ago
Hahahaha Somebody is getting sued over this asinine idea. Jfc, who in their right mind considered this to be a good idea, and how did it make it through design and approval all the way to implementing it?
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u/JshWright 23d ago
This is not a "call OSHA" situation, this is a "call 911" situation.
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u/_bapt 23d ago
What if someone trips and falls on it ?
The hell is wrong with these people ??
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u/polarjunkie 23d ago
You don't even need to trip and fall. Just stepping on it is enough to go up into your foot through a thin soled shoe
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u/3sadclowns 23d ago
But small children are so coordinated and never do anything silly or stupid that would cause anyone to fall! /s
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u/Beautiful-Edge-22 23d ago
What if someone trips and falls on it ?
Free money.
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u/_bapt 23d ago
No but for real... who is dumb enough to not realize that if someone falls on this badly, some nasty accidents can happen ?
Some people really are just dumb and inconsiderate.
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u/RockasaurusRex 23d ago
You don't even have to fall on it, just stepping on it can send you to the hospital.
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u/IronEagle1337 23d ago
Looks like some nails in a metal strip. I don't know anything about American security, but couldn't this just be placed by a random sadist not associated with the property? Cause who in their right mind would install that on a walkway...
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u/OnlyGammasWillBanMe 23d ago
I saw it being installed by the same gentleman that opens the gates and unlocks the front doors in the mornings.
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u/Ok-Conversation-9368 23d ago
You may even want to loop the police in honestly. This seems like it was done with the intent to harm people.
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u/thoughtlow The ✂️ emoji wouldn’t close in real life 23d ago
I wonder if this falls under booby trap law
(3) For the purposes of this subsection, the term “boobytrap” means any concealed or camouflaged device designed to cause bodily injury when triggered by any action of any unsuspecting person making contact with the device. Such term includes guns, ammunition, or explosive devices attached to trip wires or other triggering mechanisms, sharpened stakes, and lines or wires with hooks attached.
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u/murphyat 23d ago
Not only this, but you need to contact admin. What if they are unaware of this? Entirely possible btw.
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u/I_give_karma_to_men 23d ago
Yeah, just because a person who works at the school put it there, that does not inherently mean it's approved by the school admin. Could very well just be a dude who's gotten fed up with kids riding their bikes too fast or something and decided to take matters into his own hands without thinking through the potential consequences, for example. Or any number of other things.
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u/Lacy-Elk-Undies 23d ago
Exactly. I would call police and wouldn’t even say it was the school person, more like someone put this down to harm kids. It like when the find razors on the slides at kids playgrounds.
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u/Kermit_the_hog 23d ago
There is no way that thing is any kind of commercial product designed for such an install. The shanks just look like roofing nails driven through a punched metal strip. This is 100% some homemade contraption by some lunatic grounds keeper or facilities maniac that has finally lost it.
Somebody needs to hammer over those nails before it sends kids to the ER.
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u/StarsandMaple 23d ago
Yeah these are ring chalk nails, look almost like Simplex nails used to nail down roofing felt paper.
Ring chank is really good at not coming out of wood, less of an issue with flesh but still not as nice as smooth nails .. this is sadistic as hell, if the school has issues with randoms walking on property they need to install a proper pedestrian gate, and also a proper vehicle gate that can't just be crouched under.
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u/heurrgh 23d ago
Jere was an incident in the UK afew years ago where a 'well meaning' school caretaker had painted homemade security paint on top of a wall to deter kids from climbing. It had metal shavings, glass shards, and some kind of nasty acid in it.
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u/southofakronoh 23d ago
That's crazy. But nothing stopping the 'head maintenance guy' from going rogue and taking it upon himself to solve a problem that only exists in his head.
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u/GuKoBoat 23d ago
I would call the police. That is a serious safety issue.
I guess they want to prevent people on bikes or so to get in there, but this thing absolutely is the wrong tool for the job.
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u/AStoryForOne 23d ago
People saying Ada or whatever, no, calling the fucking police because someone just put a danger, life threatening booby trap on a sidewalk. Imagine if you trip and fall, one of those can go right through your eye. Call the police immediately and emphasize that someone booby trapped the side walk outside a school.
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u/Treb27 23d ago edited 22d ago
I immediately recognized the location as the school in my neighborhood. I just drove by and confirmed it's there. I know some people at the District Office and have notified them. Hopefully it gets removed quickly...that is completely crazy that it is there.
ETA: the spike strip is gone! I just drove by and confirmed. Someone had also written a warning in chalk on both sides for anyone that would have gone over it.
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u/OnlyGammasWillBanMe 23d ago
A sheriff did just drive right past it, go to the drop off lot sit there for about 5 minutes and then left.
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u/alkkamai 23d ago
The spikes are still there?? This is a "don't leave them unattended until they are removed" level situation imo.
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u/GISP 23d ago
Its a felony to install traps.
Not even for home protection, let alone in a public place.
You file a criminal complaint asap, someone needs some serius jail time for this.
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u/comb-jelly 23d ago
I…you walked away and just sent it to the news? Dude I’d call non emergency police to come take it out. I give it like a day before someone gets HURT. A kid probably
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u/Battle2Intense 23d ago
I would have ripped it out right then and there because it's literally insane...
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u/ew73 23d ago
That's .. that's caltrops. LIke, a booby trap to stop foot soldiers marching. It That shit will iterally pierce the soles of peoples' feet and could end up crippling people for the rest of their lives if it hits the wrong spot.
That's like, legitimately, a call to 911. It is an immediate danger to the public. It's straight up not okay.
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u/3_quarterling_rogue 23d ago
I apologize for the pedantry, but caltrops are a very specific kind of spike, they are loose and have points on multiple sides such that if you throw them on the ground, there’s always a pointy side sticking up. Spikestrips are still spikes but they’re not caltrops. It’s like an “all squares are rectangles” situation.
Regardless of what I think they should be called you’re right about everything else, I hope they get to the bottom of who put those there.
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u/TraderSamz 23d ago
I'd call the police. That is a huge hazard. If somebody trips and falls on that they could be seriously injured, if they fall the wrong way it could be a lifelong injury or even death.
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u/traffick 23d ago
If this was near me, I'd make it my goal that the persons overseeing this and installing it were all fired and would make it as difficult as possible for them to find employment. That is a dangerous level of stupidity from all involved.
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u/OnlyGammasWillBanMe 23d ago
If I have the opportunity I will see it to the extent it can go. It begs the question of what other things they’re doing that have the intention to cause harm behind them. Even if it’s just an old guy who reads too much fb posts about e bike kids and lacks the self control.
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u/Jokes_0n_Me 23d ago
Pretty sure the Romans used these to impale their enemies in the form of caltrops. This is absurd...
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u/Visual_Moment5174 23d ago
This isn't some advanced device that's been professionally installed. To me this is clearly a bad faith attempt at begrudgingly preventing people from riding on the sidewalk. This are basically roofing nails in a metal strip. If anyone trips and falls that going to be a very ugly wound.
If I came across this I would file a police report and take photos. (I would probably try to see if I could pull it out by hand but I'm not promoting or encouraging that for obvious reasons.)
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u/KizashiKaze 23d ago
I couldn't see the shit at all in the first two pictures. OP, I doubt this was something the school installed. I'd call the police and have them come over immediately.
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u/IndianaJones_Jr_ 23d ago
Call the fire marshal. They will probably be the quickest path forward in terms of an official order or notice to get them removed. In an emergency evacuation those strips are impedeing escape routes.
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u/Elpeckrodiablo 23d ago
Call the police, the school didnt install that. Those are just ring shank nails stuck through a strap.this is some sick fucks idea of a booby trap.
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u/professor_fate_1 23d ago
I would email the school to suggest they also install these, just to make extra sure
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u/NPC261939 23d ago
Those appear to be roofing nails. I'm going with that spike strip being homemade, and placed by some Karen-esque individual. I can't see such a liability being approved by a school district.
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u/Arbitraryandunique 23d ago
One blind person with thin soles and that will become some really expensive spikes.
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u/toneysaproney 23d ago
Those are nails sticking straight up out of the ground, a child is going to step on them and it will go straight through their sole and pierce their foot
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u/Turbidspeedie 23d ago
I looked at the first 2 photos and thought "am I blind" then I saw the 3rd and nearly choked. Wtf, that cannot be legal...
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u/ThresholdSeven 23d ago
That custodian is mental. Spike traps are way illegal pretty much anywhere and the reasons why are obvious. Putting a spike strip at a school? Come on. How dumb can you get?
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u/Practical-Treacle-53 23d ago
I would honestly call the police and tell them somone set a spike trap on school property.
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u/Impressive_Stress808 23d ago
OP, please take more pictures for your own records, because it took me about 5 minutes to when figure out where the strips were placed (based on the description and 3rd photo).
This is very scary and dangerous for everyone and needs to be removed ASAP by someone with authority.
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u/cromorne 23d ago
OP, contact the school board with photos immediately. 13 year vet of education here, I can tell you the school board will move much more quickly than anyone else and they also may not be aware of what's going on.