Pregnant woman falls through floor at military housing

FORT CARSON, Colo. (KKTV/Gray News) - A pregnant woman says she fell through her floor inside military housing at Fort Carson, landing in the crawl space, and now the family is moving out after months of back-and-forth with the property manager and the Army.

Jordan Martin said since the family moved into the rental, they have had a nearly three-year ordeal trying to get maintenance issues resolved with the property management company, Balfour Beatty Communities. She was standing on a hatch door to the crawl space on the floor of a closet when it gave way.

“I was grabbing some paper towels, and I fell straight through. It was just a cloud of dust that came up in my face,” Martin said.

She suffered some bruising and scrapes but said the emotional toll is much worse.

“I didn’t feel comfortable living here anymore. I was not being heard. Nothing is being done; the way they treat residents is just absolutely terrible,” Martin added.

Balfour Beatty Communities said in a statement that it received a work order about a leak Feb. 9, responded immediately and found a leak in the crawl space.

“Following the inspection, the resident stood on the crawl space hatch door located in a closet and did drop a few feet into the crawl space. Fortunately, she suffered no injuries,” they said in the statement. “Upon detecting the leak, we immediately moved the family to temporary lodging while we undertook repairs. When the repairs were complete, our team and Army representatives walked the family through the home to conduct a final quality check and review all work performed.

“With all parties indicating they were satisfied, the family moved back into the home and no additional concerns were raised to us.”

Balfour Beatty Communities also stated the family raised concerns about asbestos in the flooring material.

“Asbestos was commonly used in homes constructed before 1980. Our teams, guided by our environmental staff, conduct tests prior to performing repairs to ensure the work is performed safely and any hazardous material is properly handled,” they said. “The home was also inspected by our team and the Army to confirm it was safe for the residents to return following the leak repairs; however, we understand the residents have now decided to move off-base.”

The real estate services company said its primary concern was the health and safety of residents, and it continues to work closely with Army partners and Fort Carson command to ensure people are safe and comfortable in their homes.

Fort Carson command said in its statement that they were aware of a complaint regarding on-post housing.

“At the time of the incident, Directorate of Public Works Housing Division, as well as environmental specialists, walked through the home with the family. All parties were satisfied with the completed work,” command said. “We will continue to communicate with the family to help mitigate any further issues with Balfour Beatty Communities.

“Every soldier and family deserve a safe, environmentally sound house to live in. The health, welfare and safety of our soldiers and families is a top priority for Fort Carson.”

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