$41,000 Settlement Woman Injured Due to Poorly Secured Handrail

Christopher Geldmacher represented an elderly woman who injured herself on the stairs at a Saint Louis City apartment complex as the result of a poorly secured handrail.The client was walking down the stairs in her apartment building while leaning on the handrail for support. The handrail, which had not been adequately secured to the wall, pulled out of the wall causing the client to fall and land backwards on the stairs. During the fall, the handrail fell on top of the woman and twisted her wrist. She immediately went to the emergency room, followed by a visit to her primary doctor, and then a hand specialist. Her wrist injury required surgery followed by physical therapy. The landlord denied responsibility, claiming that it was not responsible for the woman pulling the handrail off of the wall while using it for support., Mr. Geldmacher was forced to file suit against the landlord. Mr. Geldmacher discovered that having a handrail that was not “securely fastened” to the wall was actually a violation of St. Louis City Code. The discovery of the poorly secured handrail made proving the case much easier and caused the landlord and its attorneys to rethink their position. Prior to trial, Mr. Geldmacher was able get the landlord to agree to pay his client a settlement of $41,000.00.