While athletes in Georgia may have reason to be concerned about suffering sports injuries on the field, sometimes those damages can come as a result of a slip-and-fall accident rather than as part of the activity itself. One example is the case of Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard, who suffered a head injury after slipping and falling on a locker room floor at the 2015 U.S. Open tennis tournament. She ultimately settled a liability lawsuit over the incident with the United States Tennis Association in February.
The tennis player said that she was relieved and happy following the decision and looking forward to returning to her tennis career. In an initial phase of a trial on the case, a jury found that the USTA was mostly responsible for the accident, which occurred due to a wet floor in the locker room. The trial was to move forward into a second phase, during which Bouchard would speak about the damage done to her career by the incident. However, the settlement pre-empted the continuation of the trial. The parties did not release details of the settlement or the monetary amount involved.
In a statement, the USTA’s lawyer said that the sport body wished Bouchard the best in her future tennis career and that they were satisfied by the outcome. Bouchard had said that despite fitness modeling opportunities and sponsorships that continued to provide income, her tennis career has gone downhill since the injury.
Unfortunately, slip-and-fall accidents can lead to brain injuries, broken bones or other consequences. A personal injury lawyer can consult with an accident victim to determine the potential to file a lawsuit and seek compensation for the damages suffered as a result.