A man has been awarded $125,000 by the city of Glendale, California as part of a settlement agreement following a slip and fall accident that occurred on June 21, 2009.  Although the city has settled slip and fall cases in the past, it is unusual for the settlement to reach six figures.

According to the victim, as he carried a large container of leftover food to his car, he tripped and fell over a crack in the sidewalk that had been created by a magnolia tree.  He lost consciousness and woke up in a hospital room with bruises and cuts on his face and arms.  The most serious injury he suffered was a ruptured eye globe.  Also according to the claim, he had emergency surgery on his left eye and spent six days in the hospital.  The victim’s vision in his left eye is significantly reduced as a result of the injury.

Although the victim sued the city and the host of the party, his friend and fellow member of a local gourmet club, for her part in not maintaining the magnolia tree, the lawsuit against the party host was later dismissed.