$150,000 Woonsocket Slip and Fall

Our Woonsocket, RI client slipped and fell in the parking lot of her apartment complex, resulting in a complete ACL knee tear.

The Defendant owned a residential complex in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, that it leased to tenants, including our client. The premises included a parking lot. Following a winter storm, our investigation indicated that the Defendant did not safely clear the lot of ice and snow. The Defendant’s tenant, our client, exited her apartment intending to walk through the lot to her car. She was wearing winter boots and attempting to use caution. However, she slipped on a sheet of ice that was concealed under a layer of snow.

The slip and fall caused a complete ACL knee tear. Our client came to us with questions about Rhode Island slip and fall law such as the landlord’s duty to safely clear the lot. At the Bottaro Law Firm, LLC, Mike and our staff answered her questions and promptly investigated the incident. Our investigator obtained photographs and witness statements. We advanced the costs to retain a forensic engineer who raised additional concerns about the parking lot’s drainage design. We also obtained a certified record of the weather to refute a common defense in winter slip and fall cases. That is, in Rhode Island, a landowner’s duty to clear such a lot does not arise until a reasonable amount of time after the snowstorm has passed. Therefore, in this case, Mike successfully established that the storm had indeed passed and in fact, the Defendant’s plow had already attempted to clear the lot.

Our client ultimately required two emergency surgeries, including a reconstructive surgery, and multiple rounds of physical therapy. At the Bottaro Law Firm, LLC, our Rhode Island slip and fall lawyers properly used our client’s medical records and physicians to help establish her legal damages and ultimately win her case.