In early 2010, a 40-year-old physicist at NASA’s Langley Research Center was walking on the Cunningham Drive overpass when he slipped and fell onto the highway below. His body was found on the road’s shoulder early in the morning. The investigation that followed backed up traffic for miles. The Virginia State Police ultimately ruled the slip-and-fall death an accident.
However, the family of the victim – his wife and three daughters – is now seeking $5 million in damages against the City of Hampton. Their suit accuses the city’s employees of gross negligence and the “creation of a public nuisance,” as snow had accumulated on the walkway to “extreme heights,” making the guardrails for the overpass ultimately useless.
Apparently, the snow was mounded so high that it caused the pedestrians’ center of gravity to be close to or above the height of the guardrails, both causing and allowing the man to fall onto the interstate below.
If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a slip-and-fall accident in Virginia because of a negligent property owner, you may be entitled to compensation. Please contact the experienced premises liability attorneys at Kalfus & Nachman today for a free case evaluation.
