On May 13, the City of Sacramento released documents acknowledging that their office had recently settled a lawsuit filed against them. Their records show that they paid a plaintiff $300,000 back in February for injuries that she suffered on a city sidewalk. She was seriously hurt when she was thrown from her wheelchair after coming upon uneven pavement on a downtown sidewalk back in 2014.
According to city records, the plaintiff was traveling down the sidewalk near the intersection of 15th Street and J Street in February of 2014. Soon after that, her wheelchair’s footplate became wedged in between the sidewalk and the curb at an intersection.
The plaintiff’s chair wouldn’t move once it became wedged between the pad and the curb. The abrupt stop caused her to be jolted from her wheelchair. She came to rest on her side.
Her ankle ended up bent under her body. She had to have emergency surgery on it. She also damaged her wheelchair and hurt her knee in the incident.
A federal lawsuit was initially filed against the city in March of 2015 after the City of Oakland had denied her request for damages for the injuries she’d suffered. She accused the city of violating both California state laws and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations by not having safe, accessible sidewalks.
It’s the responsibility of property owners to keep their premises in good repair or otherwise those who are hurt or killed on them may be able to sue for negligence. Individuals who are injured on sidewalks, at parks, at a store or anywhere else should consult with a personal injury attorney to learn what their legal rights are.
