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Woman sues hotel after allegedly falling downstairs
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Posted on Aug 03 2017
A grandmother is suing Gold Beach Hotel in Garapan when she fell down the hotel’s stairs when she and her family stayed there after Typhoon Soudelor’s destruction on Saipan in August 2015.
Antonia N. Aldan claims the incident reinjured her ankle, which had an old injury.
Aldan, through counsel Colin M. Thompson, is suing Bo Sea Corp., owner and operator of Gold Beach Hotel, for negligence.
She wants Bo Sea Corp. held liable for her medical expenses. She is also suing for compensation for her pain, suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life.
Saipan Tribune contacted Gold Beach Hotel yesterday for comments, but the number listed in the phone directory no longer works.
According to Thompson in the complaint, Aldan and her family rented a room on the second floor of Gold Beach on Aug. 15, 2015.
On the evening of Aug. 18, 2015, Aldan and her 1-year-old grandson were going downstairs toward the lobby when she stepped off the stairwell before the bottom of the stairs, causing her to fall and allegedly twist her ankle.
Aldan did not go to the hospital that day because she believed that her ankle, although painful was not seriously injured. The following day, her ankle allegedly became swollen and she began experiencing extreme pain.
A doctor at the Kagman Health Clinic had her obtain an x-ray at the Commonwealth Health Center and it was learned that the fall reinjured an old ankle injury and damaged metal hardware in and around her ankle. She underwent surgery.
Aldan took and continues to take pain medication to lessen the pain she experiences.
Thompson said Bo Sea Corp. breached its duty of reasonable care to make the stairwell safe for its customers by failing to ensure that it was adequately lit; failing to install warning signs alerting customers that the stairwell was poorly lit; and failing to install carpeting or another safety device at the bottom to ease the impact of falls on the stairs.
