Woman Who Needed Surgery After Slipping and Falling on a Wet Restaurant Floor Receives $150,000 Settlement | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

What Happened

Our Virginia slip and fall law firm client required surgery and months of physical therapy to recover from hand, wrist and arm injuries she suffered at a restaurant.

The woman, who worked as an insurance adjuster, had left her table to visit the restaurant’s restroom when she slipped and fell on a wet floor. She later described the floor as being “covered with some type of liquid.”

Surgeons needed to insert screws into our client’s wrist to repair the damage, and the woman wound up missing two months of work. She spent most of that time without a paycheck.

Related Content

What Is Premises Liability?
What Duty of Care Do Property Owners Owe Visitors?
When Can a Business Be Held Responsible for a Customer’s Slip and Fall Injuries?

Key Legal Strategy

Immediately after being hired, our Virginia slip and fall injury attorney began collecting evidence that showed the restaurant staff and manager knew or should have known that the floor on which her client fell was wet and posed a danger to patrons. Such evidence would allow the injured woman to demand compensation and monetary damages from the restaurant owner because, under the legal principle of premises liability, the owner had responsibility for ensuring that the people it employed made all reasonable efforts to keep customers safe.

A waitress who was working when our client suffered her injuries confirmed that she would testify at trial that a carpet that “always” covered the spot where the customer fell had been removed. The waitress could not say why the carpet was not in place at that time, but her testimony would indicate that staff and managers recognized that an absorbent, slip-proof floor covering was needed but absent.

Succeeding with a slip and fall claim is usually difficult. Businesses may not preserve evidence that might implicate them in neglecting to take necessary safety precautions. Securing the testimony of the waitress, then, proved essential to compelling the restaurant owner to agree to settle our Virginia slip and fall client’s injury claims for $150,000.00 before anyone had to appear in court.

Staff: Staff attorney