This case involves a wheelchair-bound woman who was severely injured when her chair toppled over an unmarked step-down inside a casino. The woman was attempting to exit the casino area to enter a restaurant in a lower-traffic area of the casino floor. Unbeknownst to her, there was an unmarked drop between this area of the casino and the restaurant. Upon exiting, the wheelchair slipped over the unmarked step-down causing the woman to be thrown from the chair. The woman broke both legs and her collarbone as a result of the incident. A premise liability expert was sought to opine on the design and safety of casinos and to speak to the industry standards for proper warnings and wheelchair accessibility in such properties.
Question(s) For Expert Witness
1. Please briefly describe your experience with the design and layout of casinos, bars, and/or restaurants.
2. Can you speak to proper warnings required for a step down that is not flush with the adjacent walkway?
Expert Witness Response E-007804
I have been a new store opening manager for multiple Fortune 500 companies and high volume independent restaurants. I teach restaurant design and layout in operations management classes in a hospitality program. I have industry experience working at a casino as well. I can speak to warning signs. Warning signs or lighting(string) may be appropriate for a step or curb warnings (ie. "Watch Your Step"). I have reviewed similar cases of situations where signage was needed to avoid an accident, and other slip and fall cases.
About the author
John Lomicky
John Lomicky is a J.D. candidate at FSU Law with a multidisciplinary background. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Neurobiology and Near Eastern Studies from Georgetown University and has graduate degrees in International Business and Eurasian Studies. John's professional experience includes working in private equity as an Associate at Kingfish Group and in legal business development and research roles at the Expert Institute. His expertise spans managing sales teams, company expansion, and providing consultative services to legal practices in various fields.
