A 21-year-old graduate student rented a room in a large house. As she was walking down the basement steps, she tripped on a pair of boots left there by the landlord. She fell down the steps, breaking bones in her foot. A Board of Arbitrators awarded her money for her injuries. … [Read more...]

A 73-year-old retired millworker drove with his wife to a local McDonalds for breakfast. The entire parking lot was icy, but he was able to make it safely into the restaurant. Upon leaving, he slipped and fell on some ice, striking the back of his head. He needed six staples to close the wound and continued to have neurological problems. The franchise which owned this particular McDonalds was sued. After multiple depositions were taken, the case settled. … [Read more...]

A 23-year-old restaurant manager was leaving a movie theater when he tripped and fell on rubber matting which was not flush with the floor, creating a raised edge. He had a closed head injury and a cut above his right eye. Headaches made it difficult for him to concentrate at work. The movie theater settled the case before a lawsuit was filed. … [Read more...]

A 21-year-old college senior slipped and fell on a patch of ice in the parking lot of her apartment. This particular patch of ice had been there for some time and had formed hills and ridges. The weather report also confirmed that it hadn't snowed for several days. The college senior badly fractured her leg, requiring orthopedic surgery with screws and a rod implanted. A lawsuit was filed against the apartment complex in a conservative jurisdiction. After the pre-trial exchange of information, the case settled for a favorable sum. … [Read more...]

A 53-year-old psychologist was walking in a parking lot, about to enter a newly-opened store. The edge of the sidewalk on one side of a curb cut was painted yellow, but the edge on the other side was not. She failed to see the unpainted curb, tripping and falling to the ground. She broke a tooth, which had to be pulled and replaced. She also had a scar and a concussion. The store owner was sued. After depositions were taken, the case was settled without a trial. … [Read more...]

A 63-year-old retired police sergeant bought a sandwich with dipping sauce at the counter of a local fast-food franchise. The dipping sauce container was not closed properly, falling through the bottom of the bag and dripping sauce on the floor as she turned to leave. She slipped and fell on the wet floor, injuring her hand, wrist, low back, hip and knee. The case was settled with the fast-food franchise before suit was filed. … [Read more...]

A 39-year-old woman was shopping at a local discount store. When she reached on the shelf to pick up a glass candelabra, she severely cut her hand on broken glass. There were no broken pieces of glass on the shelf, indicating that the candelabra had not been broken recently. The case eventually settled with the store?s insurance company. … [Read more...]

A 53-year-old lawyer was walking on a dark path toward a restaurant while at a resort for a Bar conference. There was a large decorative rock set in the middle of the path with a hidden ledge at its bottom edge. As she walked past the rock, her foot got caught, throwing her to the ground. She dislocated her foot and shattered one of her toes. She also fractured her pelvis. Because of diabetes and circulation problems in her extremities, tips of her toes had to be amputated. After multiple depositions, the insurance company for the resort settled the case just before trial. … [Read more...]

A 76-year-old woman was leaving a bed and bath store, walking through the foyer. As she neared the exit, she tripped on some rugs that were stacked in the corner, falling through the open sliding door onto the concrete pavement outside. She hit her head and fractured her hip. The rugs were stacked low and the available walking clearance was less than required under the Americans with Disabilities Act regulations. After the store manager admitted in her deposition that in standard merchandising practice anything stacked under three feet is known to be a tripping hazard, the case settled. … [Read more...]

A 51-year-old woman was shopping at a local discount store. She began to exit the store through a glass door left open by another customer. As she walked through the doorway, the adjacent automatic doors struck her although they were supposed to deactivate when the side door was opened. The woman had a closed head injury and Achilles tendon injury.  After a lawsuit was filed and discovery documents exchanged, the case settled shortly before it was scheduled for a hearing. … [Read more...]