Jury: "Accident Caused by Poor Road Maintenance"
An American woman who fell during an ultramarathon is set to receive nearly 20 billion won in compensation.
On the 23rd (local time), foreign media including ABC News reported that Leslie Mettler Old (53), who worked as a fitness coach, was awarded $13.1 million (approximately 18.2 billion won) in damages by a King County jury.
Earlier, Old participated in an ultramarathon in 2021 and fell on a sidewalk in the Queen Anne area of Seattle, severely injuring her quadriceps femoris. The quadriceps femoris is located at the front of the thigh and is a muscle that directly affects joint health.
Despite undergoing multiple surgeries for treatment, she can no longer run and even walking has become difficult. Old lamented, "Even 34 months after the injury, I still have to use my hands and knees to climb the stairs inside my house." She was known to have completed several ultramarathon races, which are longer than the full marathon distance of 42.195 km.
The jury found that the City of Seattle and the apartment owners were responsible for the accident due to poor road maintenance and decided they are liable for the compensation. The sidewalk where Old fell was always covered with water and seaweed, and many other residents also testified in court that they had fallen there.
Netizens responded with comments such as, "While $13.1 million may seem like a lot, it doesn't seem like much if walking for life is difficult," "Praying for a full recovery," and "If other residents also fell there, action should have been taken."
Meanwhile, the Seattle city prosecutor's spokesperson reportedly declined to comment on the case.
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