Beachgoer injured near hurricane-damaged Fort Myers Beach pier

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. —

One woman says she hopes her painful experience near the Fort Myers Beach pier serves as a warning for others heading to the beach.

Elif Alparslan says she was taking photos in the water near the pier when she slipped near the pylons and cut her leg on exposed debris. Photos show a bloody leg and the seven staples she later needed at the hospital.

"It started bleeding a lot," Alparslan said. "I started shaking. I was really shaken and not able to walk."

She says the injury is still painful days later, and she’s continuing to take pain medication and antibiotics.

The damaged Fort Myers Beach pier has remained closed since Hurricane Ian, with orange netting and signs posted at the entrance, including one notice warning people the area is "use at your own risk."

Lee County tells Gulf Coast News that rangers patrol the area and say people should not go on or around the pier.

Still, some people believe more should be done to fence off the area.

"It should all be blocked off, the whole area, if they're not fixing it right away," said Karen Windell, visiting from New York. "People are sunbathing under it ... Have signage on the pylons!"

Others say the notices posted already make the danger clear.

"You don't know what's underneath a structure like that," said Amy Blau-Karlosky, who lives on Fort Myers Beach. "It's really your liability. It shouldn't be anybody else's, but yours for putting yourself in that position."

The Town of Fort Myers Beach says Alparslan filed a complaint about the incident, which was then forwarded to Lee County because the pier is county-owned.

According to the sign at the pier, the county is supposed to start construction this summer, but is still missing permits for that to begin. Right now, there is no official timeline for when those permits will be approved.

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