California Injury Attorney Blog

A recently secured $1 million out-of-court settlement for an individual who was rendered an incomplete quadriplegic following a fall down a defective stairway.

the individual while visiting a friend's home, an active 54-year-old woman fell down a steep, poorly lit stairway onto a cement basement floor. She was catastrophically injured, breaking her neck and sustaining serious injuries to her spinal cord and knee. Doctors diagnosed her as an incomplete quadriplegic, meaning that she still had some movement and sensation in the nerves below her damaged spinal cord.

Following the accident, the injured woman immediately underwent surgery to stabilize her spine. In the last eight months she has undergone extensive rehabilitation and physical therapy, and has gradually begun to walk again, with assistance. But many of her injuries remain severe and permanent, and she will require ongoing care.

Using an expert engineer to examine the accident site, the attorneys were able to provide information to the homeowner's insurance company establishing that the stairway was defective and unsafe, lacking handrails and adequate lighting. The insurance company agreed to settle out of court, for the maximum amount of the policy's limits -- $1 million.

The settlement reached was the maximum amount obtainable under the homeowner's insurance policy.

The Peck Law Group protects the rights of catastrophically injured individuals and represents families throughout California who have lost a loved one due to the negligence of others. The Peck Law Group has helped injured clients recover damages in cases involving commercial truck and semi accidents, car and motorcycle accidents, medical malpractice, nursing home abuse and neglect, wrongful death and injuries resulting from defective products and other personal injury claims.