The family of a young girl now has closure and can move forward following a traumatizing incident at an apartment complex, thanks to a settlement secured against the property owner by our child injury attorneys at The Button Law Firm.
What Happened to This Young Girl?
In the summer of 2021, a young girl was on the balcony of her family’s two-story apartment home when the entire balcony gave way. The balcony’s structural failure caused the little girl to fall two stories to the ground and sustain multiple spine fractures. She was fully immobilized on a backboard at the scene by the Lewisville Fire Department and transported to a local emergency room.
The little girl’s mother contacted our experienced Texas child injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm to hold the apartment complex owners and management company accountable for her daughter’s trauma and life-altering injuries. The settlement secured by our team will provide the family with monetary compensation to cover medical expenses, therapeutic resources, and other expenses to help the little girl heal and move forward.
What Does Premises Liability or Unmaintained Premises Mean at Texas Apartment Complexes?
What happens when you’re injured at an apartment complex in Texas because of an unsafe condition or hazard? Under the law, the incident is called premises liability. Unmaintained premises refers to a space that is not properly cared for or kept in good operating condition. Just like in this case, the balcony of the family’s two-story apartment was not properly installed or maintained.
After the incident, it was discovered that the railing of the family’s apartment was only secured with one screw in each of the four corners. There was also a separation of hardware from the supporting beam, which was cracked. The floor of the balcony was also compromised by a foundational crack that spanned the length and width of the balcony.
Sadly, this little girl’s fall and injuries could easily have been prevented if the landlord and apartment complex management company had maintained the apartment and balcony’s structural integrity to ensure the safety of its tenants and visitors.
What Injuries Did the Young Girl Sustain at the Unmaintained Apartment Complex?
The fall caused by the collapse of the apartment balcony broke the little girl’s spine. Several radiological imaging sessions revealed that the little girl fractured her lumbar spine and sustained a closed wedge compression fracture to the L2 vertebra and a compression fraction of the thoracic vertebra.
To treat her injuries, she underwent a posterior spinal fusion and posterior instrumentation at L1-L3. This operation entailed multiple screws and two titanium rods to be surgically embedded into her spine to stabilize the fractures. She was also fitted with a thoracic lumbar sacral orthosis that needed to be worn a minimum of six weeks after her surgery.
She was forced to attend multiple physical therapy sessions to help her recover from her extensive injuries.
In addition to her physical injuries, the young girl experienced multiple life-altering hardships. All activities that children experience in their daily lives—walking, sitting, sleeping, showering, and play with friends—were difficult for her. She was forced to wear a back brace at school and could only use the bathroom in the nurse’s office, making her feel insecure. She even had to miss a family trip to Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor Splashtown because it was impossible for her to safely have fun without further injuries to her back.
In addition to the immediate medical treatments, the young girl experienced irreversible damage to her spine, and will require continued medical therapy and potential future therapies in the future.
How Can The Button Law Firm Help My Family After an Injury at an Apartment Complex?
If your child was seriously harmed at an apartment complex, contact our experienced Texas child injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm. Our firm is focused on cases involving children, like this case where a little girl experienced serious, life-altering injuries because of the apartment owner and management company’s negligence. Our attorneys will listen to you and your child to assess the situation and determine where a company failed to maintain safe structures. Our attorneys at The Button Law Firm in Dallas, Houston, and Midland, are recognized on the prestigious Texas Super Lawyers list, and we can help guide you after a traumatizing incident involving your child. We work on contingency, meaning we don’t charge you or collect any upfront fees to get started on your case. Call us at 214-699-4409 or fill out the contact form below for a free consultation.
