Ms. R and her friend had just dropped off their dogs off at a pet groomers at a shopping center located in Granada Hills. Near the pet groomers, there was a Smart and Final across the street.  Ms. R had decided, just after dropping off her dog, to walk to Smart & Final to purchase some items for Thanksgiving, while her friend walked towards another direction to a laundromat.  As Ms. R entered the parking lot, she tripped and fell over an asphalt berm that was about 16 inches in height.  It turned out that the asphalt berm was built primarily to keep water, from rain or other sources, to reach the sidewalk.  The color of the asphalt berm matched the color of the parking lot’s level asphalt and Ms. R was unable to distinguish the difference.

Ms. R fractured her left elbow as a result of the fall and she required 2 elbow surgeries.  Ms. R incurred around $93,000 in medical expenses and Mr. Ellis was able to recover $350,000 on her behalf.

Last modified: 01/10/22