12 Sep Slip and Fall Injury Nets More than $38 Million

A California jury awarded a plaintiff $38.6 million in compensation due to a slip and fall incident that resulted in a brain injury. According to reporting in the Legal Examiner, the victim was on a hotel balcony at the time when they slipped off and fell to the ground.

It was found that the railings on the balconies were below the height required by building codes. The report details that, in the 1970s, the building code required that railings the 42 inches high. The motel railing was found to be 34 inches high.

The victim won this lawsuit despite some rather difficult circumstances for their case. To start with, the victim was intoxicated at the time of the accident. They were found to have had three times the legal limit of alcohol in their blood at the time that they fell. In addition to this, the victim already had a brain injury and the victim suffered memory loss because of the fall and didn't even remember falling from the balcony.

According to the report, the jury eventually found that the victim was entitled to compensation and that the motel was 85 percent at fault for their injuries.

Settlements

Sometimes, when victims of slip and fall injuries decide to file a lawsuit over the matter, they'll be offered a settlement by the party that they're suing. The $38.6 million jury award seems even more impressive in light of the fact that the victim was offered a settlement that only went up to $250,000. If you're involved in a lawsuit over a slip and fall, make certain that you talk to your attorney before you accept any settlements. The number they're offering may seem high to you, but your attorney may know better.

Lawsuits

Lawsuits like these are filed when people have instances where they fell on wet floor surfaces, fell from balconies because of building code violations and for many other reasons. The main purpose of these lawsuits, however, is to make certain that the victim of the accident has enough money to pay for their medical expenses and any other costs that they racked up as a result of having been injured. In some cases, these slip and fall accidents end up costing somebody their ability to work in the field that they're trained in, making the financial damage even more catastrophic and the future even more difficult for the victim.