Personal Injury Law

St. Charles, Missouri woman drowns after slipping and falling into condo lake

By Ryan Bradley, Esq.

Ann Kaminsky, 47, was found dead Sunday after apparently falling into a lake inside a condo complex in Weldon Springs, according to a St. Louis Post Dispatch report.

According to officials cited in the report, no foul play is suspected and no signs of trauma or struggle were immediately visible. An autopsy will be conducted as will a toxicology report, but the findings may not be released for weeks.

The report also says that witnesses saw Kaminsky drinking what might have been alcoholic beverages and reading, though it is not known what exactly she was drinking. Officials say it?s likely that she fell on a slippery area around the lake.

The results of the autopsy and toxicology report will tell us a lot about this case. If Kaminsky had been drinking heavily, it is entirely plausible that she simply fell in the lake while inebriated and was unable to swim out. If it tests come back saying she hadn?t had that much to drink, or that the slip and fall knocked her unconscious, this might be a case of premises liability.

A premises liability case alleges a defect or dangerous condition of property causes personal injury or death to a person. Missouri law requires owners and possessors of property to maintain their premises in a reasonably safe manner. This includes keeping areas free of foreign objects, slippery substances and hidden dangers.

If an investigation into the condo grounds turns up evidence that there was a slippery and unsafe area around the lake that pedestrians were expected to walk in, a Missouri personal injury attorney could argue that the condo managers were negligent in maintaining their property.

Full post as published by Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog on March 29, 2009 (boomark / email).