Injuries sustained from a fall
Description:
The case involved a woman going to her neighbor's home to request assistance in starting her lawn mower. When the plaintiff rang the neighbor's doorbell, their dog charged towards the door and jumped onto the closed screen door. This caused the plaintiff to back away suddenly in a defensive move, and she fell off the porch. As a result of the fall, the plaintiff sustained a fractured elbow requiring open reduction and internal fixation. Although there was no contact between the dog and the injured plaintiff, the judge ruled in favor the plaintiff because the aggressive move of the dog towards the door was the direct cause of the fall off the porch, and strict liability was applied.