Ring around the rosie
Pocket full of posies
Upstairs, downstairs
We all fall down.
St. Paul put away childish things when he became an adult, but adolescence lingers for some of us. We remain uncoordinated, reckless risk-takers well into our dotage and are eventually shocked and dismayed when we go too far one time too many and find that we can no longer recover our equilibrium as quickly and as easily as we once did.
In the past two years there have been several reported (and soon to be adjudicated) instances of mature citizens tumbling down in inelegant ways and inappropriate places.
Yvette Vance claims to have slipped on an aloe leaf at the South Charleston Kroger store in June of 2012, injuring her leg and knee. (And they say aloe is good for you!) Two years later, this past June, she filed suit against the store in Kanawha Circuit Court.
James Hill reports falling over a cart at the Weirton Shop-N-Save in July of 2012 and sustaining severe injuries. He filed suit against the store two years later in Hancock Circuit Court.
Janette Hall says she slipped on sugar in the bakery aisle at the Fayetteville Wal-Mart in January last year, injuring her knee. She filed suit against the store in Fayette Circuit Court this past May.
Hazel E. Shia tripped on a platform at the Wheeling City Council Chambers April before last and filed suit this past June in Ohio Circuit Court seeking damages for injuries allegedly suffered.
Is it reasonable to expect shoppers to watch where they’re going and be on the lookout for fallen leaves, abandoned carts, spilled sugar, and other likely hazards at a grocery store? Should citizens beware of platforms at public fora?
The answer is yes.
We all fall down. When we’re not paying attention, it’s our own fault. You can’t sue yourself so why have an expectation that someone else pay for the mistakes.