Haven't we all suffered from a personal injury at one point or another? Picked ourselves up, dusted off, and started all over again. But what happens when the injury costs upwards of 800 grand to make us all better again? The end of our trial(s) barely in site? We can't dismiss it.
Evelyn and Harlan Knoepfel, in the above referenced claim, are trying to change the safety of the bridge and walkway outside of Nebraska's Stuhr Museum after a bad tumble. And their personal injury claim forces that change.
Did we mistakenly discount a personal injury in haste? And, did our negligence cause others to take the same "fall"? At what cost?
Did a broken nose, arm and eyeglasses - just the beginning for the Knoepfels - seem like something our own insurance company should cover? What if it started by ruining the rest or our vacation? We had to leave our tour group behind to seek medical care? Cancel our hotel and change plane reservations?
Then when we got home and we found that the pain was worsening. Now we've got to take time off of work, get a doctor's note to halt our gym membership fees, try and cook our meals with one arm, get someone to drive us to doctor appointments, get our eyeglasses repaired so we can read a book while we're stuck at home for an amount of time that now stretches out before us like a death sentence…
Tripping outside of a public building: embarrassing and, at the minimum, painful with maybe just some cuts and scrapes. But what about taking that extra step, so to speak, to make sure that everyone, from children to senior citizens, doesn’t befall the same path?
Looking at our surroundings before we place a single step in any direction any time we leave the comfort of our own abode? Not likely. Remembering that if we do take a misstep, even once, that something can be done to correct it? It's time to retrace our steps and make changes.
The Stuhr Museum is "praised as one of the top 10 places to relive America's past" and a "world-class nationally recognized educational and cultural institution" that's been open since 1961. Guessing there is a lot of traffic on that bridge and walkway every day. Traveled during the school year by countless students and teachers, the summers by vacationing families, babies in strollers, pregnant moms and groups of foreign-speaking international tourists.
The cost of the repairs undoubtedly will be less than the cost of the trial and damages awarded. And the cost of future personal injury lawsuits abated when the museum's grounds are repaired.
Just because a museum is a place for antiques and relics it doesn't mean their grounds have to be so. A personal injury case such as this one may be costly, but if it promotes safety, what better expense is made?
For more information about law governing personal injury or to file a personal injury lawsuit, it's best to consult a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer.