$2.5M Verdict: Trip-and-Fall Animation Exposes Dangerous Floor Design

The office building used to be a residential home, and the room in which the Plaintiff tripped used to be the garage. The entryway featured a doorway that opened into the room with an immediate drop of 6.5 inches. According to the Florida Building Code, “A floor or landing is not required at the top of an interior flight of stairs, provided a door does not swing over the stairs,” which was the architectural design in this case.

The first animation establishes the building’s architectural history while focusing attention on the hazardous floor design that caused the Plaintiff’s trip-and-fall.

The building used to be a residential home with a garage, but it was repurposed into a sales center. The office where the fall occurred was located where the garage used to be, and thus a dangerous 6.5-inch drop was part of the floor design. Using construction drawings of the building’s architecture design, this animation accurately depicts a 3D aerial perspective of the architecture.

After establishing the dangerous floor design, the next animation shows the Plaintiff’s perspective as he stepped into the office, tripped, and fell on his face.

This animation is observed from the point of view of a camera placed at an approximate height of 5’8”. The camera moves toward the front door stopping at office No. 4 on the left. The camera enters the office where there are no signs or warnings, falls forward, and the video fades to black as contact is made with the ground.

After depicting photography of the Plaintiff (not included in this example) the animation fades back to observe the unmarked single riser as the door swings over the step. The animation also highlights the ceramic tile that matches the foyer, creating the optical illusion of a level floor. The Florida Building Code is then faded on the screen to anchor the safety regulation that was disregarded.

After establishing the dangerous floor plan and demonstrating how the plaintiff was injured, the next animation shows how the Defendant could have easily made this entrance safer by placing signs, adding caution tape, changing the floor design, or reversing the door to open away from the office.

This animation is observed from the same point of view as the previous animation, at an approximate height of 5’8”. This time, as the camera moves towards the front door, a caution sign fades on the screen warning patrons to “Watch Your Step.” A simple sheet of paper taped to the door fades into view with the same warning. Caution tape fades on to the floor, marking the dangerous drop in elevation.

After establishing the warning signs the Defendant should have placed, the animation goes further to show how a different flooring material, such as laminated wood, would have made it much easier for the Plaintiff to observe the drop. We also show how reversing the door to open away from the office would have also made this floor design safer - and compliant with the Florida Building Code.

After laying the foundation for liability, the final animation features a 3D Brain Map that highlights the specific neuropsychological damage the Plaintiff suffered as a result of the fall.

We built a 3D model of the Plaintiff’s brain with demonstrative bruising highlighted over damaged areas. We then animated the presentation to focus attention on these bruised areas, and summarized the specific cognitive defects the Plaintiff client endure as a result of each damaged resion. The purpose was to anchor the jurors’ understanding and memory of these defects with powerful visual context they would remember when considering these issues later.

MediVisuals + High Impact’s team of visual strategists, artists, and developers can build and customize your digital presentation for any case involving personal injury, medical malpractice, birth trauma - or any subject involving complex information.

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