Premise Liability Lawsuit: A shopping center will pay $10.3 million in a Union County premise liability suit. The plaintiff was leaning on a metal railing on an elevated walkway outside a store in Springfield when the railing gave way. He fell four feet to the pavement below, hitting his head. The railing had broken the day before, but the shopping center used wire to hold it together and did not post warning signs, says the plaintiff’s accident attorney, Raymond Gill Jr. of Gill & Chamas in Woodbridge.
The plaintiff suffered three fractured vertebrae and repairing them required implantation of metal plates. He also dislocated his left shoulder, which required an operation, in addition he also suffered nerve problems in his feet from walking on crutches. He also lost hearing in his left hear. Premise liability lawyer Ray Gill says his client had to give up his job as a warehouseman.
Falls are a persistent hazard found in all occupational settings. A fall can occur during the simple acts of walking or climbing a ladder or as a result of a complex series of events affecting an ironworker one hundred feet above the ground. The most common fall-related injuries or fatalities are in the construction industry. High-rise building cleaning and maintenance, transportation, material moving, and construction & extraction occupations are particularly at risk of fall injuries. Things that may cause fall incidents usually involve slippery or unstable walking surfaces, unsafe edges or floor holes, unsafe ladders, or incorrect fall protection. There are federal rules and regulations that require specific industry safety standards. Persistent unsafe practices and violations of safety regulations have led to steady fall injury rates each year.
