Last inspection showed Harpo’s railings are in compliance with Columbia requirements
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A 21-year-old man fell from the rooftop of Harpo’s Bar and Grill, located at 29 South Tenth St. on Sunday night, and he’s in critical condition.
CFP responded to the medical emergency just after Corbin Rodenberg fell around 9:10 p.m. First responders provided medical aid before he was transported to a hospital, Columbia Fire Department spokesperson Skyler Clark said.
A witness told ABC 17 News that Rodenberg was sitting on the railing when he fell.
The minimum height requirement for outdoor railings is 42 inches, Clark said. City of Columbia spokesman Christopher Ave said the city inspected the bar in 2018 and it passed. The city only inspects buildings before they open to the public. The bar had a remodel occur in 2018.
The Tenth and Cherry parking garage near Harpo’s also has railings at the minimum height. ABC 17 News noticed that the rooftop bar appears to be on the second floor, but one side is higher off the ground than the other.
Other rooftop bars, such as The Roof, located at 1111 E. Broadway, have large, clear barriers that extend several feet into the air, well over the heads of bar patrons. This bar is also on top of the Broadway Hotel.
Attorney Jill Harper said there are a couple of things that would need to be proven to show the bar is at fault for the fall.
The first thing to look at is the railing, and consider its integrity. Harper said furniture placement could also be taken into account as to whether the furniture makes it easy to sit on the railing.
The other aspect to keep in mind is whether Harpo’s employees tried to stop Rodenberg from sitting on the railing. Harper said that if not, it could be negligence on the bar’s part.
Alcohol overconsumption would not be a legal argument here, since Missouri’s dram-shop law only applies to people under the legal drinking age, Harper said.
It’s not the first time someone has been seriously injured after falling at a Columbia bar, but it’s the first in about 16 years. In 2010, 19-year-old Kelsi Poe fell down a stairwell at Quinton’s Bar and Deli, which is now closed.
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