Jury awards $750,000 to woman permanently disabled after fall on hazardous County sidewalk

Christine Woods walked into a government building on a summer day in 2022. She has not walked the same since.

On June 30, 2022, Ms. Woods was heading toward the disability ramp outside the Hyattsville District Court and County Services Building when her foot caught on uneven, protruding bricks in the pedestrian plaza. She fell hard, striking the pavement with enough force to split open her lip, knock out a tooth, and injure both knees, her shoulder, her neck, and her back. What had been manageable, pre-existing back pain from a 2008 work injury became severe, debilitating, and permanent.

Three years and more than $52,000 in medical bills later—including over 75 physical therapy sessions, epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, and dozens of chiropractic visits—multiple doctors concluded that Ms. Woods had reached the limits of her recovery. She now walks with a cane, cannot stand for extended periods, and has been unable to return to work. Her injuries are permanent.

Justly Prudent represented Ms. Woods in her negligence lawsuit against Prince George's County, arguing that the County knew or should have known about the dangerous condition of its brick walkways and failed to fix, inspect, or even warn pedestrians about the hazard. The evidence showed that within a month after Ms. Woods's fall, the uneven bricks were repaired—an acknowledgment that the condition had posed a serious risk all along.

A jury in the Circuit Court for Prince George's County agreed. After hearing the evidence at trial, the jury deliberated for approximately 15 minutes before returning a verdict of $750,000 in favor of Ms. Woods—the full amount Attorney Jordan Howlette requested during closing arguments.

"No one should be permanently disabled because their local government couldn't be bothered to maintain a sidewalk outside its own courthouse," said Attorney Howlette, the managing attorney of Justly Prudent. "Ms. Woods went to a public building and left with injuries that changed her life forever. This verdict tells Prince George's County, and every municipality, that neglecting basic safety has consequences. We are grateful the jury saw this case for what it was and delivered justice for Ms. Woods in full."

The speed of the verdict spoke volumes. The jury heard how the County allowed dangerous, uneven pavement to persist in a high-traffic area outside public buildings where residents come to access court services and County offices every day. They heard about the County's failure to implement regular inspections or maintenance of its walkways. And they heard about the devastating toll that a single fall on a neglected sidewalk took on a woman's body, her independence, and her ability to earn a living.

Ms. Woods's injuries were extensive. The fall caused facial lacerations requiring sutures, the loss of a tooth, bilateral knee injuries with cartilage damage, a rotator cuff strain and shoulder impingement, and a significant worsening of her spinal conditions. Her treatment required emergency care, orthopedic consultations, MRIs, CT scans, nerve conduction studies, pain management injections, and months of both traditional and aquatic physical therapy. Despite all of this treatment, her doctors determined she will not recover further.

The $750,000 verdict accounts for Ms. Woods's past and future medical expenses, lost wages, diminished earning capacity, and the permanent loss of quality of life she endures every day. It sends a clear message that local governments cannot neglect their most basic responsibilities (i.e., keeping public walkways safe) and expect to escape accountability when someone gets hurt.

The case is Woods v. Prince George's County, MD, filed in the Circuit Court for Prince George's County, Maryland (Case No. C-16-CV-25-003600).