Man falls on dark staircase

In 2011, Eric and Shirin were hired by a 70-year old man from North Louisiana. He had been in town visiting his niece and nephew. Their night to the French Quarter turned horrific when he fell descending stairs in a bar. Witnesses stated that the stairs were dark.

Expert Engineer determines that the staircase is not within code requirements

Upon further investigation by an expert engineer with a Masters in Safety Engineering, H&N was able to determine that the stairs fell short of three important safety and building codes. The light in the stairwell was below the standards required by building codes and life safety codes. Additionally, the treads (the steps) on the stairs were too short, and the heights of the steps (the risers) were not uniform. Both the city building codes and state building codes have minimum requirements for stairs so that they are safe. In this case, the stairs although new and built in 2010, did not meet the code requirements. According to the engineer, these code short comings were unsafe and a direct cause of the injuries. This information was presented to a jury at trial on December 3rd.  

Unsafe stairs lead to compound fracture of hume rus

H&N also presented their clients treating orthopedist. He explained that the significance of the injury, and the complexity of the break. Our client suffered what is called and open or compound fracture — meaning the bone actually broke through the skin and was visible. During the immediate surgery, the surgeon placed 19 surgical screws and three stainless steel plates. Thankfully, the surgeon was able to fix the arm so that most of its range of motion returned and some of its strength.  Our client’s medical bills exceeded $100,000.

After H&N presents the case at trial, the case settles

The owner of the building and the business denied any and all responsibility for the fall caused by the staircase. So Eric and Shirin took the case to trial on December 3rd. After presenting the testimony of the engineer and surgeon, the defendants agreed to settle the case for $200,000. This was a victory for our client who had never filed a lawsuit in his life. He wanted this business owner, and all business owners, to realize the importance of following building and safety codes because if they don’t real injuries can and do occur.  And these personal injuries can be life altering.

You need a law firm with experience, expertise, and dedication

If you are hurt because of an unsafe business, property, or premises, you should contact a lawyer at Harrell & Nowak as they bring legal experience together with top experts to present your claim.