In March 2008, a chiropractor stopped for a morning cup of coffee. While picking up his order at the local Starbucks, he slipped on a freshly mopped floor. The fall would change his life significantly. Though Anthony Zaccaglin left that day on his own accord, he would have a rough day and evening. After more than 24 hours suffering with a persistent headache and nausea, Zaccaglin finally made the call to the doctor. The day after his accident he reported to his doctor’s office to find that he had suffered a concussion and, worse yet, mild brain damage. In order to correct his injuries, doctors would have to spend more than a year working with him and that meant that the chiropractor would not be returning to his office.
As one might imagine, the mounting medical bills would be very difficult to pay when the man was unable to bring in a paycheck. So, Zaccaglin armed himself with an attorney and went to court. It would seem to most the Starbucks was relatively unwilling to negotiate with the man who suffered so badly on their property. The reports suggest that the company offered just $100,000 to the man who lost an entire year of work, very likely a large number of his patients, and had to go through intensive therapy.
The court sided with the man just before the holiday season, awarding Zaccaglin and his family a whopping $7.5 million. The reasons for this figure were recorded as loss of income, medical expenses, and the loss of enjoyment of life.
Zaccaglin is just one of many Americans who will suffer the pain and embarrassment of falling in a public place during their life time. The costs associated with a slip and fall can be immense and when it is the result of poor decision-making on the part of another person, business, or entity, then there is no reason that those individuals should continue to suffer both physically and financially without just recourse.