Fall in Doorway–Fractured Hip Joint

The Incident

A 72-year-old woman was entering her regular hair-dresser’s shop.  She had rheumatoid arthritis that made it difficult to walk without assistance.  The salon was notified that she was coming because she had made an appointment.  When she tried to walk through the doorway, the floormat was out of place and rumpled.  The owner admitted that she had been cleaning in the area earlier in the day and the tripping hazard would have been visible from the front desk for the salon.  As a result of the fall, the Plaintiff fractured the “head” of her femur (where it attaches to the hip socket), and she required surgery and painful rehabilitation to regain her mobility.

The Result

This was tried before a private Arbitrator, who awarded the Plaintiff $116,800 (after a partial reduction for the Plaintiff’s responsibility for the fall).