Woman Who Fell and Broke Bones at Sushi Restaurant Loses Compensation Claim; Judge Rules Her Own Negligence

(Central News Agency, reporter Hong Xueguang, Kaohsiung, 11th) A woman surnamed Wu, who fell and fractured her bones while stepping down from a seat at a sushi chain restaurant in Kaohsiung, sued the restaurant for NT$1 million in damages. The Kaohsiung District Court, after reviewing surveillance footage, found that Ms. Wu had looked back and subsequently missed a step, ruling against her. According to the court judgment, the incident occurred on the evening of August 8, 2022, at a sushi chain restaurant in E-Da Outlet Mall, Kaohsiung. At nearly 8 p.m., after finishing her meal, Ms. Wu fell while stepping down from the dining area, resulting in a compression fracture of the second lumbar vertebra, a pelvic fracture, and a fracture of the left radius. Ms. Wu and her family argued that the restaurant's fixed tables and chairs, combined with a significant height difference between the seating area and the aisle, constituted poor traffic flow design that posed a risk of falling. Ms. Wu sought NT$1 million in compensation for medical expenses and emotional distress, and her four relatives each sought NT$100,000 for emotional distress. During the trial, the restaurant argued that the seating height complied with building technical regulations, that conspicuous yellow warning signs reading 'Caution: Height Difference' were posted at each seat, and that anti-slip strips were installed. They stated that customers could use the sturdy chairs for support when sitting down or standing up, and that there was no obstruction to walking safety, claiming Ms. Wu's fall was due to her own inattention. The judge's investigation found that the step height in the seating area was 13.5 cm, which complies with the building technical regulation requiring steps to be '18 cm or less.' The edges of the steps were marked with yellow warning tape and anti-slip plates, and the color of the steps differed from the aisle floor, which was sufficient to alert customers to the height difference. Reviewing the surveillance footage, the judge found that while Ms. Wu's accompanying relatives had all successfully descended from the seating area, Ms. Wu had moved to the edge of the step, then turned her head to look back into the seating area to check for any forgotten items, after which she missed the step and fell. The judge concluded that Ms. Wu's fall was caused by her failure to pay attention to the ground conditions in front of her while moving, and that there was no causal link to the tables, chairs, or step configuration. The court dismissed the claims of Ms. Wu and her family. The case can be appealed. (Editor: Zhang Mingkun)