Slips & Falls Verdicts



In the below article we will discuss the amount of money that is involved with slip and fall accidents and while the compensation that these victims received, might not have made their lives better. There are a number of factors that need to be taken into account when looking at slip and fall accidents, the majority of claims are directly associated with the floor, either the type of surface, the condition or the maintenance.


There are many types of products that available to increase the safety floors in all areas, the largest portion of floors that require treatments are Ceramic tiles as well as Porcelain tiles which are extremely slippery when exposed to moisture, either from the elements or from spills. We have treatments for most types of floors including Anti-Slip treatments for Ceramics and Anti-Slip treatments for Porcelain. If you experience any of these problems or simply need any advice, please feel free to contact us.



Slip and Fall Injury Verdicts

Commonly known as “slip and fall” cases, these cases involve the everyday accidents that occur when someone trips on wet floors, the stairs, slips on ice, catches a heel on broken concrete, or experiences other accidents of that nature.



Past Slip/Fall Verdicts

Sometimes, these accidents are just that, and no one is to blame. Often, however, it's poor maintenance, failure to clean up, faulty railings, or some other lapse in care that leads to slip and fall injuries. When that's the case, the owner or operator of the property is often liable for the injuries sustained-and homeowners' or business insurance usually covers that liability.


Below you'll find some slip and fall vrdicts and settlements gathered from news sources around the country.


  • $2 Million Awarded to Family for Hospital Fall of Elderly Patient

  • $70,000 to girl for foot injuries received during gym class

  • $18 Million to Medical Student for Open Manhole Injury

  • $2 Million to Horse Vet in Slip and Fall Injury

  • Doorman Receives $6 Million for Slipping on Pigeon Poop

  • Slip and Fall Injury Causes Broken Arm, $1 Million Settlement

  • Slip and Fall Injury Nets Philly Man $390,000

  • Hospital Visitor Slip and Fall Victim Awarded $700,000

  • $75,000 settlement for ankle injury

  • $800,000 awarded for slip and fall injury

  • $5 Million given in personal injury settlement to paralysis victim

  • $942,000 awarded for ice slippage

  • $12.2 million for Slip-and-Fall Injury

  • $150,000 Settlement For Slip and Fall Outside an Apartment

  • $300k for Fall at PetSmart Store

  • $742,000 for Fall Caused by Duct Taped Stairway

  • $214, 000 Awarded for Fall at County Jail

  • $140,000 for ankle injury

  • $15.8 million for manhole-fall injuries

  • Results taken from recent news articles. Results not typical. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

  • $2 Million Awarded to Family for Hospital Fall of Elderly Patient




July 8, 2008

The Delaware Supreme Court overturned the ruling of a lower court in deciding to award $2 million to the family of an elderly hospital patient who died of a fall. Matthew Harris fell and broke his hip in February 2004; he was given a sedative to help him sleep, but he later got out of bed, fell, and suffered a head injury that led to his death. The Supreme Court found that the hospital was negligent in caring for Harris. Harris's family was also entitled to prejudgment interest of $470,000, because the jury award was larger than the settlement amount offered by the hospital.





$70,000 to girl for foot injuries received during gym class

An 11-year-old New Jersey girl reached a settlement with Pittsgrove Middle School over a lawsuit claiming that the school was negligent in failing to properly maintain its grounds leading to a foot and ankle injury in gym class. The suit described how the girl was using a running path in 2003 when she fell from a hole located in the path and suffered severe enough personal injuries that she had to undergo two years of intensive medical treatments to relieve her pain. The $70,000 settlement will help repay her and her mother for the medical expenses of these treatments.





$18 Million to Medical Student for Open Manhole Injury

A medical student at the University of Pennsylvania was awarded $18 million from the Trigen-Philadelphia Energy Corp., the company responsible for the steam system under Philadelphia streets, for their negligence in his 18-foot fall into an open manhole. Homeless individuals often remove manhole covers to seek shelter, and though the energy company knew of this widespread phenomenon for over 10 years, they did not adequately address the problem, according to the court ruling. The amount of the verdict was largely determined by the medical student's lost future earnings, since his fall caused a spinal injury that ended his education and therefore career. The jury found that the removed manhole cover was 99.99% the fault of Trigen.





$2 Million to Horse Vet in Slip and Fall Injury

A Kentucky horse veterinarian settled a slip and fall injury lawsuit with Super Eight Motel in Waterbury, Connecticut for nearly $2 million from an injury he suffered outside their facilities in 2002. Veterinarian Michael Bowman broke his ankle in three places after slipping on ice outside the hotel in a poorly lit area in the middle of the night. The lawsuit claimed that the motel's managers knew about the fact that the area got icy for four years, but did nothing to correct it or warn pedestrians of the danger. The suit also claimed that the managers blamed Bowman for his fall. Doctors advised that the severity of Bowman's ankle injury would cause it to worsen over time and hinder his ability to continue his profession of horse veterinarian.





Doorman Receives $6 Million for Slipping on Pigeon Poop

In one of the year's more unusual cases, a former New York City doorman has received $6 million from the city for a personal injury that resulted from slipping on pigeon droppings on subway steps. The unnamed plaintiff alleged in a lawsuit brought against the city of New York for failure to remove the droppings despite knowledge of their potential hazard. According to news reports as well as the lawsuit, he was left permanently disabled by injuries from his slip and fall, though none of the news reports specified what the injuries were.





Slip and Fall Injury Causes Broken Arm, $1 Million Settlement

A man from Rockford, Illinois has settled a lawsuit against the Steam Plant Restaurant for $1 million, alleging that the restaurant was negligent in not putting up a warning sign that caused him to slip and fall on a wet floor. After sustaining the slip and fall injury last year, Daniels suffered a broken arm in several places and expects to undergo several surgeries to repair the arm. Daniels suffers from an illness that makes him particularly susceptible to broken bones. Witnesses on Daniels' side were brought to testify that they saw the floor being mopped, while all were at a local Crime Stoppers meeting. Daniels' wife was also given $75,000 in the settlement.





Slip and Fall Injury Nets Philly Man $390,000

A Bucks County jury awarded a Philadelphia man $390,000 for injuries sustained in a slip and fall injury in an icy industrial park parking lot. The lawsuit claimed that the owner of the industrial park allowed rainwater to drain directly on to the parking lot and did not salt, shovel or clear the ice and snow in the parking lot, which led to the man's fall. Because the incident took place seven years ago and a jury verdict was not reached until recently, the man and his lawyer are seeking delay damages as well.





Hospital Visitor Slip and Fall Victim Awarded $700,000

Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont, Texas was recently ordered to pay damages of $723,000 in a slip and fall injury involving a visitor to the hospital. Flo Wilson was visiting her sister in June 2005 when she missed a step in the parking garage and fell, breaking her hip. Wilson claimed in her lawsuit that at the time of her injury, the hospital had not painted the edge of the uneven landing with the bright yellow stripe required by law. The jury found in Wilson's favor, awarding her compensation for past and future physical impairment, physical pain and mental anguish, medical care, and past and future disfigurement.





$75,000 settlement for ankle injury

The Bayonne Insurance Commission recently voted to pay a woman $75,000 after she stepped off a city curb, tripped and broke her ankle in 2002. Catherine Schmidt suffered a permanent disability from the accident. The payment represents the settlement of a personal injury lawsuit filed by her. Schmidt had alleged negligence against the city of Bayonne, New Jersey.





$800,000 awarded for slip and fall injury

A New York jury recently awarded $800,000 to a man who sustained an injury after he slipped and fell in his apartment building. Myron Fishbane fell on the steps coming into the lobby of the Chelsea Apartments in 2004. His ankle was broken in three places and still requires a metal rod and 11 screws to hold it together. Allegedly, the steps of the building were covered with water, lacked adequate handrails and violated code provisions. The jury awarded Fishbane and his wife $500,000 for past pain and suffering and $300,000 for future pain and suffering.





$5 million given in personal injury settlement to paralysis victim

A Chicago-area man was recently awarded a $5 million personal injury settlement from an exercise-table manufacturer and the fitness store that sold it to him after he sustained severe slip and fall injuries that left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. Herb Tinney, 68, was using the exercise table in his basement when he slipped and fell from the machine. As he lived alone and was unable to get to a telephone, Tinney remained on the floor for three days before he was found. Tinney will spend the rest of his life in a nursing home.





$942,000 awarded for ice slippage

An Omaha jury recently awarded $942,000 to a train conductor who was injured after slipping on a patch of ice outside an Iowa motel during a work layover. Terry Sigler was staying at the Super 8 Motel in Missouri Valley in 2002 when he slipped on a patch of ice while stepping over a pile of snow. The jury found that the motel's parking area was not appropriately lit to reveal the icy surface. Sigler tore the cartilage in his right knee and underwent arthroscopic surgery following his slip and fall injuries. The federal emplyers liability act mandates that employers provide a safe place for their workers to stay, and Sigler's lawsuit states that the Union Pacific Railroad failed to do that.





$12.2 million for Slip-and-Fall Injury

A Hampton, Virginia jury recently awarded a day spa owner $12.2 million for a brain injury she sustained after falling outside a convenience store in 2003. Annette Ritzman sued Miller Oil Co. after she slipped on the raised sidewalk in front of Miller Mart and lost consciousness upon striking the ground. Ritzman's attorney said the store did not adequately warn customers or prevent them from stepping on dark algae that had formed on the ground. The verdict is thought to be one of the largest slip-and-fall judgments in Virginia state history.





$150,000 Settlement For Slip and Fall Outside an Apartment

A 33-year-old woman fractured her ankle when she slipped outside her apartment. The fracture was severe and required a metal plate be put in her ankle. Her attorney argued that the managers of the building neglected to properly maintain the property thus creating a dangerous environment. The settlement amount obtained was $150,000 for the woman's slip and fall injury.





$300k for Fall at PetSmart Store

A Collin County, TX jury has found a PetSmart store to be responsible for a customer's injuries. The jury awarded $300,000 to Ronald King, 63, who sustained broken bones from a fall in the store. King's lawsuit against PetSmart maintained that he fractured his tibia and fibula while attempting to pull a bag of cat litter from a shelf. King's foot reportedly became stuck in an unattended wooden pallet before he fell backward, breaking his bones. King was unable to work for seven months and required surgery to fix his injuries.





$742,000 for Fall Caused by Duct Taped Stairway

A New London, CT jury awarded Darelyn Haynes of Groton, CT awarded $742,000 against Fountain View Condominiums for permanent back injuries caused in 2003. Haynes was walking up a stairway when the railing fell, which she claimed caused her to lose her balance and fall. She suffered a herniated disk and is now permanently disabled. Haynes alleged that the condominium association was negligent because it had been notified about the broken railing three years earlier and had done nothing to fix it. Another tenant, who claimed to have notified the notified the association of the broken railing, had used duct tape to repair it.





$214, 000 Awarded for Fall at County Jail

A federal jury awarded Amy Lynn Ford $214, 000 for injuries sustained when she fell from a bunk bed at the Grand Traverse County Jail. Ford suffers from grand mal seizures, but jail officials failed to provide prescribed medication and assigned Ford to a top bunk. She broke her hip and right clavicle in the fall.





$140,000 for ankle injury

A Philadelphia woman was awarded $140,000 for injuries sustained to her ankle at a Pennsylvania concert venue. The woman was swept up in the crowd and knocked down when fans became agitated after the scheduled headline band canceled at the last minute. A jury found that the venue management should have anticipated and taken security measures to control the crowd reaction.





$15.8 million for manhole-fall injuries

A New York jury awarded $15.8 million to Mary Ann Nolan for injuries sustained when she stepped into an open manhole in the dark on the Union College campus in 2003. Testimony revealed that the manhole cover had been scraped off by a plow and buried in the snow. Unable to locate it, maintenance workers placed plywood over the hole, but the plywood was not in place on the night of Nolan's injury.