Retired music teacher slips on unsafe ceramic tile, tears his tendon, jury finds bakery chain responsible

… A 67-year-old retired music teacher was leaving a restaurant café on a snowy day. The café’s vestibule had a porcelain ceramic tile floor, which is very slippery when wet. The café did not provide enough safety mats for a safe walkway on the tile.  The two mats that were provided were not slip-resistant.  As the music teacher was about to step outside, he stepped with one foot on the exposed, wet tile. One of the mats slid under his other foot and he fell backwards, completely rupturing the tendon in his leg.  He had emergency surgery and underwent several months of rehabilitation. After a hard-fought trial, a jury found that the café was negligent in not safely maintaining its property. The jury included in its verdict a significant sum of money for the music teacher’s pain, scarring and loss of life’s enjoyment.