We recently secured a $125,000 arbitration award against SEPTA in a trip and fall case. Our client was exiting a SEPTA regional rail line and tripped and fell while stepping off the platform. SEPTA failed to paint the platform riser yellow to let passengers know there was a step down to the concrete platform and the slate grey color of the riser was very similar in color to the concrete platform. This created an optical illusion for passengers and our client went to step forward from the platform not realizing that there was another step down. She fell forward and sustained a rotator cuff tear which ultimately required surgical repair. During litigation, we secured the original SEPTA engineering specifications for the riser platform which required the walking surface to be painted yellow. This evidence was critical and showed that SEPTA violated their own design specifications.
After extensive litigation, the parties put the case into binding private arbitration. Based on the evidence collected during litigation, the arbitrator found SEPTA was negligent and awarded $125,000 for our client's injuries.
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