Current Issues in Journalism

In one of the larger auditoriums (auditorium #5, to be exact) at Hollywood Southwind 12, the local movie theater, the cushion of a seat is completely missing. Without the cushion, it is not out of the question that anyone, especially an elderly person, could not see this and harm themselves thinking they are sitting down on something that is not there. Although this may not seem to apply to anyone except those who may have poorer-than-average vision, everyone can be affected by this if a friend or family member is inadvertently injured by this hazardous seat.

According to the National Safety Council (NSC), "over the past several years, the frequency of preventable injuries among people age 65 and older – especially product-related injuries and injuries caused by falling down – has increased dramatically," and according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), they estimate that "product-related injuries and deaths involving those 65 and older cost the United States over $100 billion every year." For the sake of preventing another potentially fatal accident involving a senior citizen, it seems clear that fixing this seat is a matter of utmost importance.

Jon Ratzlaf, General Manager of the Southwind 12 and available at 785-832-1364, said that he was unaware of this problem, and would work on getting the seat fixed promptly. Hopefully, getting a replacement can be done soon and at not too much trouble, as Ratzlaf was very understanding and somewhat alarmed upon receiving the news about the damaged seat, and said that it would not take more than "a couple days" to repair it.