Exterior Staircase Fall Down
After exiting a building, an elderly woman descended an outdoor, wooden, wide set of stairs. While doing so, she lost her balance, fell, and was seriously injured. Upon inspection, we determined that the rise height of the step where she fell was a half-inch higher than the previous steps. In addition, there was no handrail nearby. Both these items represented significant hazards and building code violations. The defendant settled after receiving our report.
City Park Fall Down
A woman claimed that she had tripped on a walkway over a post protrusion at a city park and injured her eye socket. We performed a biomechanical simulation and video animation, which showed that a fall onto the flat walkway could not have caused her injuries, and that a witness, who saw her being blown against a park bench, offered a more consistent explanation. Consequently, a jury found that the city was not liable for her fall and injuries, as they could not control outdoor winds.