NASSAU- A judge has ruled against a worker who fell on a wet floor at the Princess Margaret Hospital.
Justice Ian Winder ruled that the Public Hospitals Authority was not at fault for Lydia Adderley’s fall near the pharmacy on June 22, 2015.
Adderley claimed she slipped on a wet spot and fell on her back, hitting her head on the floor.
She said she couldn’t pick herself up and male patient came to her aid.
According to Adderley, she did not see the caution sign until after the fall.
However, Adderley did not see a doctor immediately, as she claimed that the Accident and Emergency room was crowded.
She made an “informal” report to the risk manager of the PHA the day of the fall, and, as a result, a worker from the cleaning company visited the area.
Adderley saw a doctor the following day, but the attending doctor found no sign of bruising or swelling.
The doctor didn’t order any X-rays; neither did he give Adderley time off from work.
Adderley made a formal report of the incident on June 26.
Nathaniel Butterfield testified that he was registering as an outpatient when Adderley fell. Butterfield said he didn’t see her fall.
However, the trial judge did not find Butterfield “to be an entirely credible witness.”
At the start of his testimony, Butterfield said he did not know if the floor was wet.
But, when questioned about this account, Butterfield said, “It was wet; it looked like it was wet.”
Although Justice Winder accepted that the fall took place, he found Adderley fell as a result of her negligence.
He said, “I am prepared to accept that the sign was present and visible and that in her haste she did not notice it.”
“In addition to the signage, I find that Adderley, who describes herself as always rushing around, was about to leave work, and more likely than not, not paying adequate attention as she negotiated coming down the ramp in the area where she fell. I did not find that the floor was wet at the time of the fall and accept Butterfield’s initial evidence, that he did not see any indication that the floor was wet.”
