$160,000 Injury Settlement - Slip and Fall Accident (Tripped Over Parking Bumper)

Raleigh Slip and Fall Accident Settlement Result

In 2021, we represented a client who was severely injured when she tripped over an unmarked parking bumper in a poorly lit parking garage when she was leaving work. Our team of premises liability attorneys in Raleigh reached a settlement with the property management company for $160,000.

Our client had worked in the building where the accident occurred for more than 10 years. One day, because construction was occurring on the floor of the parking garage where she normally parked, she parked on a different parking garage floor that featured parking bumpers (wheel stops). Contrary to OSHA regulations and industry standards and recommendations, the parking bumpers were not painted a color that contrasted with the surrounding areas. These parking bumpers were painted white, which visually caused them to blend in with the outline of the parking space (also painted white). As a result, our client tripped over the parking bumper and fractured both of her elbows, causing permanent injury and requiring surgery.

As part of the litigation, the defense lawyers and insurance carrier argued contributory negligence (a common defense that is described in more detail here) on the grounds that our client should have seen the parking bumper and avoided her own injury. However, our personal injury partners, Justin Osborn and Joe Budd, argued that failure to comply with OSHA standards - which were specifically adopted because these types of tripping hazards are difficult to see or perceive for pedestrians - would defeat any theory of contributory negligence. They also argued that insufficient lighting, which the property management company admitted it had the ability to check but never did, also prevented our client from seeing the parking bumper. Our investigation revealed that the lighting in the parking garage fell below the minimum recommend standards.

This is just an example of one of the recent results by our Raleigh team of premises liability lawyers. With decades of collective experience, our injury attorneys have helped clients across North Carolina and South Carolina recover millions in damages against insurance companies, large corporations, employers, and the powerful.

Learn more about property accidents and slip and fall accidents in North Carolina.