Plaintiff was visiting her friend at the hospital when she slipped and fell on a puddle of water in the patient’s bathroom. Plaintiff claimed that a nurse had been cleaning a commode in the bathroom and spilled water on the floor, thus creating a dangerous condition. The plaintiff further alleged that the nurse failed to clean up the water, failed to call housekeeping and did not place any type of warning signs outside the bathroom door. Upon falling, plaintiff’s left knee slammed into the toilet and her right knee hit the tile floor. Plaintiff’s orthopedist diagnosed meniscal tears to both knees; however, plaintiff could not undergo physical therapy or arthroscopic knee surgery due to other medical conditions. Plaintiff was unable to walk without wearing unloader braces and the only form of treatment she could withstand were injections which only temporarily relieved her pain.
The 12 person Philadelphia jury did not believe that plaintiff had met her burden of proof on liability and found in favor of the hospital. Plaintiff’s last demand before trial was $375,000.
