School's Speed Bump Trips Woman, Who Sues

She says she injured her knees and wrists
By Elizabeth Armstrong Moore,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 8, 2017 6:44 AM CDT
Woman Trips on Speed Bump, Sues School
Shown is a three-dimensional image of speed bumps painted on a road in Philadelphia, Friday, June 20, 2008.   (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Speed bumps are generally meant to check the velocity of your vehicle, but one at a school district in Idaho is the subject of a lawsuit after a woman tripped over it and fell. Jan Duff claims the area was poorly lit and that the speed bump at the exit to Minico High School's stadium is the same color as the black asphalt, reports MagicValley.com. The district responds that the lighting near the speed bump is just fine and that its location is "so obvious the plaintiff knew it existed." It adds that it was "her own negligence in failing to keep lookout and awareness of her surroundings" that led to her fall in September 2015.

Duff and husband Curtis Duff are suing the Minidoka County Joint School District for damages, including past and future pain and suffering, permanent impairment, disfigurement, mental anguish, a decrease in the enjoyment and value of life, inconvenience, and past and future medical expenses. Her husband also claims to have suffered the loss of companionship and consortium. It's unclear whether she was on her phone or in some way distracted, or whether anyone else has tripped over the bump, but the district adds that it cannot be held liable under the state's recreational use statute. Meanwhile, a long row of pedestrian speed bumps are being installed in China, reports Mother Nature Network, in an apparent attempt to slow people down as they walk past the longest manmade waterway in the world. (Check out the top 10 deadliest states for pedestrians.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X