A jury awarded Ronnie Lawrence $1.5 million for a fall which occurred at VictoryLand-Macon County Greyhound Park in Shorter, AL. Mr. Lawrence slipped on water on the floor of the bathroom. The water came from leaking bathroom fixtures, and apparently, it was a problem which the facility knew or should have known about but failed to correct. As a result, Mr. Lawrence fell and suffered multiple spinal cord injuries. The verdict was for $1 million in compensatory damages (to compensate Mr. Lawrence for his injuries, lost wages, future lost wages and future care) and $500,000 in punitive damages (to punish VictoryLand and send a message to other establishments).
Congratulations go out to Jock Smith, Brian Strength, and Champ Lyons, the attorneys who represented Mr. Lawrence. This type of case is commonly called a “slip and fall” claim, and they are very difficult to prove in Alabama due to contributory negligence (if the person bringing the claim is 1% at fault, they cannot recover). These types of verdicts are necessary in order to make other public establishments accountable for failing to correct known problems.
