BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A Kern County jury has awarded damages of more than $4 million to a Lompoc man who slipped on a puddle in a Taft Albertsons and hit his head — suffering a traumatic brain injury, his attorney said.
The jury awarded a total of $4,317,495.08 to William Mora, according to Superior Court documents. The verdict was reached Nov. 18 following a 17-day trial.
Mora’s attorney, Steven R. Andrade, thanked the jury in a news release. He said the verdict will allow Mora to move back to his hometown and live close to his children.
“Andrade Law Offices is extremely grateful to the Kern County jurors for returning a multimillion-dollar verdict for (Mora), to be paid only by Albertsons,” Andrade said.
Mora, of Lompoc, fell while shopping in April 2016 while shopping in the meat department of the Taft Albertsons, Andrade said. Mora walked near a freezer island being repaired by a service technician from A&J Refrigeration when he slipped on water that had pooled in the area and fell facedown. He hit his head and broke his nose, Andrade said.
In the months that followed, Mora complained of memory loss and loss of taste and smell. He had an MRI in January 2017 that revealed a subdural hematoma, Andrade said.
A procedure removed fluid from Mora’s brain but he continued to suffer symptoms of traumatic brain injury, Andrade said. The suit was filed in October 2017.
