Fall Down Stairs With No Railing
Apr 08, 2013OUTCOME: Settlement - $240,000
When our client turned to walk down the stairs of the porch in front of the home he had been renting for a few months on a July 2011 evening, he missed the top step and fell to the bottom of the 4 rise ... rs, fracturing his left ankle in the process. He later required an ORIF Surgery, whereby screws and plates were placed in his ankle to repair and set the fracture. Despite these significant injuries, our client was initially reluctant to pursue a claim because he believed he was probably at fault for missing the step when he turned around. After contacting our office, we investigated with our Safety Expert and determined that the 4-step riser in front of the home was negligently built in two ways: (1) the top landing where our client had been standing and tried to turn around lacked sufficient depth to comply with the California Building Code and (2) there was no handrail for these front steps, which was required under the Building Code. After months of litigation and taking the depositions of the builder and architect, we resolved this matter for $240,000 on behalf of our client despite him only having $18,000 in medical bills. This favorable settlement was reached after we showed the lack of compliance with the Building Code and discovered evidence that the homeowner and builder had conspired to sneak the lack of a handrail past the Building Safety Department for Laguna Beach when the home was remodeled.
