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Published 16:28 29 Jun 2026 GMT
A 70-year-old man is seeking $35 million from the City of San Diego after a devastating fall on a damaged sidewalk that was captured on surveillance video.
Per NBC 7 San Diego, the man alleges he suffered a broken neck and back after tripping over the exposed metal base of a removed parking meter while leaving a sushi restaurant with his wife in May. If the claim is not settled, the case could proceed to court.
Security camera footage shows the man walking toward a car parked along a curb with a 30-minute time limit. Although he is carrying a cane in his left hand, the footage appears to show that he is not using it as he approaches the vehicle.
According to the footage, one of the man's feet catches on the raised metal base of what his attorney says was a parking meter removed more than a year earlier.
The video shows him falling headfirst onto the pavement before striking the back of a parked car. He is then seen lying motionless with his head wedged between the curb and the vehicle's rear wheel as his wife rushes to help him.
The incident was recorded by a security camera mounted outside a nearby animal clinic.
Attorney William Berman alleges the city created a hazardous condition by removing the parking meter while leaving behind its raised metal base and protruding bolts embedded in the sidewalk. He also claims similar hazards can be found in other parts of San Diego.
“They protrude about an inch to two inches from the sidewalk. The city needs to make sure they’re taking out these bases from the sidewalks,” Berman said, according to NBC 7 San Diego.
Berman said the man has since been released from the hospital but now requires 24-hour medical care at home every day.
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Published 18:55 30 Nov 2019 GMT
A 74-year-old hiker whose gurney span out of control while they were allegedly being airlifted by a helicopter to safety is suing the city of Phoenix in Arizona for $2 million.
According to Fox 10 News, Katalin Metro, reportedly tripped when hiking a trail on June 4, 2019. She became disoriented and needed descending Piestewa Peak, and thus the emergency services were summoned to assist her.
Firefighters wrapped her up and strapped her into a 'stokes basket' which the helicopter lifted down.
Check out this news report about the footage in the video below:
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However, a mere 60 seconds into the rescue, the gurney began to spin around and around like a propeller. The footage of the incident was recorded by Fox 10 reporters, and the video has since been viewed over a million times.
According to court documents obtained by Fox 10, Metro claims that she told first responders that she didn't want to be taken off the trail via airlift and that she suffered physical, emotional and psychological injuries and damage as a result of the spinning.
The same documents also allege that she was taken to John C. Lincoln Medical Center shortly afterward, where a doctor noted that she had suffered from swelling and bruising to bilateral eyes, blood in her external auditory canals, and soft tissue swelling over parts of her cranium. She also later required surgery for a spinal cord injury.
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The claim continues: "Katalin Metro's injuries were caused or contributed to by the negligence, negligence per se, gross negligence, carelessness and/or other faults on the part of the City of Phoenix."
However, Paul Apolinar told Fox 10 reporters that there was a reasonable, non-negligent explanation for the spinning, stating: "As the basket comes up and hears the helicopter, the basket will start to interact with the rotor wash of the helicopter. That is when it tends to spin. It wants to windmill."
us3 min(s) read
Published 17:09 26 Oct 2025 GMT
A Southern California teacher has been awarded a record-setting $7.5 million settlement after a sidewalk fall in Whittier changed her life — and possibly the city’s public safety standards — forever.
Justine Gurrola, a special education teacher, tripped on an uneven sidewalk in February 2018 while walking through Whittier, a city in Los Angeles County, per NBC4.
What followed was a years-long legal battle that culminated in what her attorney says is the largest sidewalk defect settlement in California history.
According to court documents filed in the Superior Court of California, Gurrola fell forward after tripping on a sidewalk that had been uplifted — reportedly due to overgrown tree roots.
The accident left her with serious injuries, including a broken wrist, elbow, and nose. She also sustained injuries to her knees, neck, and back, and suffered a mild traumatic brain injury.
Her legal team added that she later required arthroscopic knee surgery on both knees and has lived in chronic pain since the fall.
“The things I loved to do I could no longer [do]. It made me really sad,” Gurrola told NBC 4. “Whittier is known for its trees. We have beautiful trees. [...] But, unfortunately, sometimes that can be unsafe.”
After a five-week trial, a jury found the City of Whittier entirely at fault. The city chose to settle on Tuesday, October 14, with a payout of $7.5 million.
“We settled the damages portion of the case for $7.5 million, which is the largest sidewalk defect trip-and-fall settlement in California State history,” Gurrola’s attorney Nick Rowley told PEOPLE.
Rowley said the verdict was unanimous and held the city 100% liable for the accident.
According to Rowley, the city had long been aware of the risks posed by raised sidewalks but failed to act.
“The city had ignored complaints about upraised sidewalks caused by tree roots for years,” he told Whittier Daily News, adding that the city lacked proper inspection protocols to identify and repair the hazards.
“Public safety isn’t just police and firefighters; it’s ensuring public right-of-ways are maintained to prevent injury or worse. Waiting until people are seriously hurt or killed before fixing long-standing dangerous conditions is wrong,” Rowley said.
For Gurrola, the lawsuit wasn’t only about financial compensation. She told NBC 4 that her motivation was rooted in protecting others from suffering the same fate.
“I think the biggest thing is that other people won't suffer from this [now],” she said.
Gurrola emphasized that the emotional toll was just as impactful as the physical injuries. Coming to terms with her changed abilities was difficult and deeply upsetting.
us2 min(s) read
Published 17:02 25 Mar 2022 GMT
A 48-year-old father died this week after his BASE jump from a San Diego high-rise went tragically wrong.
As reported by the New York Post, on Tuesday night, the thrill-seeking father was taking part in a BASE (buildings, antennas, spans, Earth) jump from the 23-story Palisade UTC apartment building in University City.
San Diego Police Department officials have since revealed to the San Diego Union-Tribune that rather than landing safely, the man plummeted to the ground below, dying as a result of the impact. In a further heartbreaking twist, the man's 16-year-old daughter witnessed her dad's fatal fall.
San Diego police Captain Scott Wahl told WKBN: "This individual had his 16-year-old daughter there, and as a father of four kids, I cannot imagine what she's going through at this point. No question that she's never going to forget those final few moments."
Wahl also told the Tribune: "It's not just one life lost, it's another that is completely devastated."
"Our heart goes out to her and the rest of his family," he added.
The man has yet to be publically identified, and it is still unclear whether his parachute malfunctioned or it failed to function correctly due to the height of the building.
Per the Tribune, witnesses reported hearing a loud pop, leading to residents of the 277ft tall apartment building exiting onto their balconies, where they saw him lying below. Despite the best efforts of emergency responders, the man was pronounced dead before reaching the hospital.
The Post states that the man was an experienced BASE jumper, and as well as his parachute, was also equipped with the appropriate equipment, such as a helmet.
"He had planned to deploy a parachute and survive the jump," Wahl added. "He’s got a history of doing different types of jumps. Really it’s a tragic event. It’s one that’s absolutely avoidable."
KSWB adds that it is unknown how he accessed the roof of the building.
The apartment building is an estimated 277 feet tall, according to an online database of skyscrapers. The man had on complete BASE-jumping gear at the time, including a parachute and a helmet. His daughter was taken to a hospital for observation, police said.
Speaking to KGTV, Capt. Wahl added: "At this point, we believe that his daughter was up on the rooftop with him, and was able to view what happened."
The man's daughter was reportedly taken to hospital for observation following the incident.
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Published 10:50 05 Apr 2019 GMT
An elderly man fell to his death from the Grand Canyon on Wednesday of this week, marking the third fatality at the national park site in just eight days.
The 67-year-old, who has not been named but has been confirmed as Californian, reportedly fell off the edge at a viewing spot near the Yavapai Geology Museum on the South Rim, according to park spokesman Murray Shoemaker.
Rangers were alerted by a bystander who witnessed the incident, and eventually located the body at about 400 feet (122 metres) below the rim. It was recovered by a helicopter and technical rescue team, and park officials are now investigating the matter.
On average, there are only about 12 fatalities in the park per year, so this recent spate of deaths has been an anomaly. At the start of this week, it was reported that a tourist from Hong Kong fell to his death while trying to take photographs.
The victim - a man thought to have been in his late 50s - had been taking pictures close to the edge of the canyon the Eagle Point observation area, according to a spokesman for Grand Canyon West, and had ignored warning signs in the area.
Witnesses say that he slipped and fell, and subsequently plummeted 1,000 feet (304.8 metres) to his death. A helicopter search was initiated immediately, and the body was recovered the same day.
According to David Leibowitz, a spokesman for the Eagle Point observation area, the man had been part of a tour group visiting the world-famous site. CNN reported that at the time of his death, he had strayed slightly from his group, and was taking a selfie near the edge of the canyon.
Tragically, the man - who has not yet been formally identified - was only about 100 yards from the Skywalk, a purpose-built platform on which tourists can take photographs, when he fell.
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The other recent death is not believed to have been caused by a fall, but the NPS and the Coconino County Medical Examiner are conducting an investigation into exactly what happened.
Vanessa Ceja-Cervantes, a spokesperson for the park, said that - usually - a very small percentage of fatalities at the park are caused by falls, explaining that "The causes of those deaths range from heat, to drowning, to medical issues and more. High elevation plays a role in some of the fatalities."
On the Grand Canyon's official website (and on various signs around the park), there are warnings to stay away from the cliff edges.
"Stay at least six feet (2 m) from the edge," it says. "Hold on to Children. Do no lean over or go past wallk and railings. Always be aware of your surroundings. Do not back up without first looking where you are going."
Even so, around two to three people every year still fall to their deaths, and a number of others sustain serious injuries from tumbles over the edge.
us3 min(s) read
Published 16:07 14 Nov 2024 GMT
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