Slip and Fall: A man who slipped on ice in Point Pleasant, NJ will receive a $900,000 settlement. A commercial parking lot was next to a two family home, which was rented by the plaintiff. On the day of this incident, it was alleged by the plaintiff that the sidewalk was covered in snow and ice. Upon further investigation post-accident, the location where the fall occurred consisted of broken sidewalk that allowed water to pool and freeze. The morning of the fall he parked his car, got out and walked up onto the sidewalk. As he began to walk down the sidewalk toward his apartment, he slipped and fell on sidewalk that was partially shoveled. When his foot hit the ice it skidded forward and then abruptly stopped on dry ground, causing his ankle to twist and snap. The plaintiff suffered serious ankle injuries and was required to undergo ankle surgery as a result of this accident.
Defendants alleged that the plaintiff just prior to this fall had parked his car illegally in their lot and actually fell crossing plaintiff’s own property. Essentially Defendant’s argument was that because Plaintiff was parked in their lot he would have no reason to be where he claims to have fallen. A neighbor, who saw where the car was parked, testified to the plaintiff’s defense. The defendant did not have snow removal policies and procedures and did not recall the last time the sidewalk had been last cleared, according to Paul Caliendo of Gill & Chamas in Woodbridge, NJ, who represented the plaintiff.
