In the early morning hours, our client was working at an airport and was walking from her office with the intent to go down to a lower level.
While she was walking towards the escalator (depicted below), she was unaware that for the several minutes prior a janitorial company employee was wet mopping the tile floor in the area leading up to the escalator. That janitorial employee failed to place any warning signs or cones in the area to show that the floor was wet. So, when our client walked unsuspectingly towards the escalator, she slipped due to the slippery, wet floor and fell violently striking her head and chin on the escalator.
Shortly after this fall, our client contacted Attorneys Jason Guari and Scott Perry. Murray Guari Trial Attorneys, knowing about the importance of surveillance in any slip and fall, immediately contacted the Airport and requested video surveillance of the area of the fall. The video clearly showed that the janitorial company failed to take simple, reasonable precautions after it created the dangerous condition of the wet floor, including providing warning.
Our client suffered a severe herniation in her neck causing significant compression of the nerves and radiating pain with numbness and tingling in her arms, as can be seen from the MRI below.
Ultimately, after two years of conservative treatment and continuous pain, our client went through a serious procedure known as an Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (“ACDF”) to resolve the radiating symptoms. Luckily, our client received a great result from the surgery, significantly improving the quality of her life.
Once she healed, Mr. Guari and Mr. Perry presented a demand to the janitorial company’s insurance carrier, citing that its negligence caused a very preventable slip and fall. After significant negotiations, we recovered a $380,000 settlement without the time, expense, and risk of filing a lawsuit or going to trial. The settlement compensated our client for her damages including, past lost wages, outstanding medical bills, for her future medical expenses, and past and future pain and suffering.
The message with the case is: If you or a loved one are injured as a result of a fall, it is important to contact an attorney as soon as possible so that any video evidence – or tangible evidence – can be preserved before it is erased and gone forever!
