Fall Through Sewer Leads to Settlement

A man injured after falling into a storm sewer grate settled a premises liability claim against the owner of the Kansas property where the injury occurred for $1 million and settled in June, according to the Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly.

The 22 year-old man stepped into a hole in a storm sewer grate which was surrounded by jagged steel and wide enough to cause a deep cut to the man’s right knee. The injury required surgery and physical therapy but all failed to reduce the pain, his attorney said.

The property manager allegedly testified that she knew about the defective storm grate for two months but had not arranged for its repair. Documents obtained during discovery confirmed that the property owner also knew about the defect, according to the MLW.

The attorney said the settlement was determined by the fact that the man cannot return to his previous job as a security guard because of the injury.