Posted on 08/13/2024 5:26:38 PM PDT by simpson96
A King County jury has ordered the city of Seattle and the owners of a Queen Anne apartment building to pay a 53-year-old ultramarathon runner $13.1 million after she fell and severely injured herself on a sidewalk in 2021.
Responsibility for the verdict is split roughly in half between the city and 14th & Dravus LLC, owners of the building.
The sum reflects the extent of Lesley Mettler Auld’s injuries and what they will mean for her life going forward. Mettler Auld is a professional fitness coach and has run dozens of marathons and ultramarathons, according to her lawyers with Dearie Law Group. Juries in personal injury cases take into account damages and future earning potential as part of their awarded amounts.
According to the complaint, Mettler Auld fell on a “notoriously dangerous” stretch of sidewalk on Dravus Street in the Queen Anne neighborhood. The sidewalk is “perennially covered in water and algae,” according to the complaint. Other Queen Anne residents testified in court that they had also fallen at this location.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.com ...
If I read this correctly the city residents will pay for all of this.
The city is 1/2 liable and that is about thier deductable, and the apartment owners will raise rent but the low income residents will get additional subsidies.
If someone hires a pressure washing company remains to be seen.
“Editor’s note: The comments section on this story has been closed because too many comments were violating our Code of Conduct.”
LOL !
I hope the “wrong sort” of delivery person does not fall on my property...and his nest act is to contact a slip-n-fall lawyer.
Personal responsibility is so quaint.
Seattle, a city which receives rain, snow or cloud cover with high humidity on an average of 226 days a year. DOHH runner, go to mesa Arizona to train. I surprised that you can sue for doing a voluntary activity in a city that is being pummeled by climate change. /s D+TTTTTTTTTT =1D10T.
The resulting fall onto a ceramic floor resulted in a hip fracture and total hip replacement.
I never heard from hotel management asking how I was doing, which was a little offensive.
But it never even crossed my mind to fetch a lawyer and sue them.
“According to the complaint, Mettler Auld fell on a “notoriously dangerous” stretch of sidewalk “
if she knew it was a problem as her complaint seems to read, then does she not have common sense to avoid it? or was she trying to get injured?
Is there a picture of the sidewalk?
Bet it did theirs.
“...it never even crossed my mind to fetch a lawyer and sue them.”
I would be the same way.
And I was just thinking... virtually everyone I happen to know, or know of, who voted for Biden, would sue-sue-sue. They aren’t the self-made type, if you know what I mean.
So much for “watch were you are walking”...
Just like when many of us were growing up and had drilled in our heads “look both ways before crossing the street” (which also applied to walking across the lane in front of a store). Now - nobody looks - and its pretty much ALWAYS the driver’s fault, even when someone steps out where they couldn’t have been seen - staring at the screen their phone...
I’m really really fatigued by the utter lack of personal accountability in our nation...
From another article: “ Prior to the fall, Ms. Mettler Auld was an elite ultra-distance athlete and professional fitness coach. She had competed in 14 Ironman races, qualified twice for the Ironman World Championships (top 2% of her age division), competed in 100-mile races, and won the women’s division of multiple 25K and 50-mile ultra-marathons.”
She ruptured both quadriceps tendons in a ground-level fall while walking? I’m sure her knees were in perfect condition after a million miles of running.
No, I haven’t seen the evidence from the case.
Do you ever feel like roaming around the countryside looking for some kid named "John Connor"?
You’d think somebody who has run so many marathons and ultra-marathons would know about slippery surfaces and know you have to watch where you plant your feet.
I took a hard fall on my right hip a couple weeks ago on a downhill trail covered in little ball-bearing rocks. Wonder if I can sue somebody? The soles of my Hokas were worn out...maybe I can sue Hoka for not having a warning about the dangers of worn out shoe soles on the product.
Stupid me...I thought it was MY fault.
I was just thinking id go this weekend to buy a pair of Hoka hiking shoe, love my Hoka runing shoes, people complain about the cost, but in my opinion they’re the best brand out there.
“in my opinion they’re the best brand out there” — I have to agree. Comfortable, good support, good life. I’ve worn about every brand available and like the Hokas the best. Right after I fell, I went out and bought a new pair and trashed the old ones.
I normally wear heavy-duty mountain boots with strong Vibram soles out in the wilderness, but have been switching more to the Hokas this summer for hiking. I think I’m going back to the Asolo mountain boots for the big and steep hills. Those Vibram soles have gotten me through a lot of sketchy terrain.
I just paid about $180 for the Hokas, some superb insoles for arch support and tax. The insoles were 1/3 the price of the shoes!
Everyone is responsible except for the one who should be.
Notoriously dangerous? Then why did she go there in the first place?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.