“…(the plaintiff) was walking from the restaurant to the front lobby when she tripped on a bunched and wrinkled carpet, catching her toe on it 
and landing on her elbow…(she) had five surgeries, and when the elbow would not heal right, underwent a total elbow replacement…her medical bills totaled $240,000, which will be repaid with proceeds from the settlement, he said…as early as 2009, Holiday Inn, which was threatnening to pull the hotel’s license because of various maintenance issues, had inspected the hotel and reported that the carpet in the restaurant was loose…(attorneys) discovered that members of the hotel staff had tripped on the rug and complained to the management…”
The owners of the former Holiday Inn on North Frontage Road agreed this week to pay $1 million to a 77-year-old St. Louis woman who fractured her elbow after tripping over a loose carpet and falling as she exited the hotel’s restaurant. Heritage New London LLC, the corporation that owns the property and managed the hotel agreed to the settlement after five days of jury selection in New London Superior Court.
Norma Minke was part of a visiting tour group that stayed at the hotel on October 3, 2010, according to her attorney, Joseph M. Barnes of the Reardon Law Firm.
During the discovery process, Barnes said he deposed the corporation owner, Sunil Nayak of Princeton, NJ. Barnes said he learned that as early as 2009, Holiday Inn, which was threatnening to pull the hotel’s license because of various maintenance issues, had inspected the hotel and reported that the carpet in the restaurant was loose. The report specifically identified the location of the incident, Barnes said. He also discovered that members of the hotel staff had tripped on the rug and complained to the management.
For more:Â http://www.theday.com/article/20131010/NWS02/131019970/1047
