Compensation of over 5,000 euros

It has been a long, very hard road. One endured by a woman from Cádiz who suffered a serious accident while walking in Cádiz due to the poor condition of the sidewalk. The woman tripped over the edge of a tree pit that was in poor condition and protruded about seven centimeters from the sidewalk, falling heavily to the ground. A forceful impact that caused severe injuries to her face, mouth, and nose, resulting in heavy bleeding and the loss of several teeth.

The accident occurred on July 18, 2022, and, two and a half years later, it seems that at least the economic damage suffered will now be compensated. The Cádiz City Council will have to compensate the victim with over five thousand euros (€5,458.90) following a ruling issued this Thursday after a three-day trial held three days prior at Court of Administrative Litigation No. 2 of Cádiz, where the affected party was represented by the Colón Law Firm from the capital.

The ruling considers the City Council responsible for the accident due to the lack of maintenance of the location where the fall occurred, on Guadalquivir Avenue, near Brigadier Tofiño Street.

After the incident, the woman had to be taken by ambulance to Puerta del Mar Hospital and treated as an emergency, «being diagnosed with a comminuted nasal fracture, a left maxillary sinus fracture, and a subarachnoid hemorrhage. These facts were confirmed by the Cádiz Local Police, whose officers issued an incident report and took photographic evidence with measurements of the element that caused the fall.

During those first months, the injured woman attended the Emergency Department due to persistent severe pain and discomfort, being referred to the otorhinolaryngology and maxillofacial departments. She was then diagnosed with post-traumatic septal deviation. After appropriate treatment and a long, painful process, she was discharged in September. However, on October 25 of that same year, the extraction of her upper incisors was performed due to the trauma; and on February 3, 2023, her lost teeth were reimplanted, at a cost of €486.

Following a peritial assessment of the damages and sequelae suffered, a corresponding liability claim against the City Council of Cádiz was filed last September, holding it responsible for the poor condition of the sidewalk and, consequently, for the fall and resulting injuries.