Three ramps at a popular public beach in Mitchell's Bay are closed over safety concerns.
A news release sent out by the Municipality of Chatham-Kent Wednesday morning didn't have an anticipated re-opening time, either.
"Due to slippery conditions caused by algae, three ramps accessing the water at Dover Beach Park in Mitchell's Bay have been closed," read the release. "The fourth open ramp that has a tactile mat, remains open. Please use caution when accessing this area."
The news of the closures comes a day after Lakeshore resident Robbi-Lynn Clark said that she experienced first hand just how slippery the ramps can be.
According to Clark, a family trip to Mitchell's Bay on Tuesday went awry when her 48-year-old mother slipped on one of the ramps and briefly lost consciousness after hitting her head.
"It's the only way to enter the water," explained Clark. "So we went down and my mom was holding onto my four-year-old, and she was holding onto the railing. She had her shoes on and all of a sudden I turn for a second and my mom was down, smashed her head so hard that lots of people came running. My dad could hear it from the parking lot -- how hard she hit her head."
Clark said that when her mother regained consciousness, she was confused and had signs of trauma on the back of her head.
"I checked her head she had a goose egg, very big, that was indented," said Clark. "She was very confused, she didn't know her age, she didn't know where she was she didn't even know who I was."
Clark drove her mother to the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance's Sydenham Campus where she was diagnosed with a concussion. Her mother is currently under a 48-hour watch and working with a specialist to monitor the situation.
Clark went back to Dover Beach Park to check if there were any signs up to caution people about the conditions of the ramp. She said she noticed after the fact that there were "small" signs indicating that the ramps are slippery when wet. Clark said she hopes the municipality takes better precautions during times when there are high water levels, but ultimately, she's happy officials have decided to close the ramps for now and that her mom's injury was a lot less serious than it could have been.
"We're not looking for anything," said Clark. "We're just looking for awareness and [municipal officials] should be more aware because it could take someone's life."