THE LIMITS OF SLIP-AND- FALL FOOTAGE Why Video Isn’t Always Enough
When a Colorado wildfire threatened one of Lockheed Martin’s plants last summer, the big defense contractor decided they needed better fire protection measures. Goats on the Job in Colorado Hooved Helpers Ward Off Wildfires
When someone slips and falls in a store, one of the first things asked is whether there’s footage of what happened. It’s an understandable question. After all, most businesses are outfitted with surveillance cameras, and it seems logical that if the incident is caught on tape, that should be enough to prove their case, right? Unfortunately, it’s rarely that simple. Video footage can certainly be helpful, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. In many cases, the camera angle doesn’t clearly show the hazard, or the image quality makes it hard to see spilled liquid on the floor. Sometimes, the footage is overwritten before the store is put on notice. And even when video captures the fall, it doesn’t always show when or how the hazard appeared. In New York slip-and-fall cases, the law doesn’t just ask if someone got hurt. To hold a store legally responsible, we must prove the store created the hazard and that it was known, or should have been known, based on how long it was there. In other words, the store must have had a reasonable chance to fix the problem before the accident happened. That’s why we go beyond video evidence. We look for cleanup logs, employee inspection records, and deposition testimony. We ask when the area was last checked and whether the store followed its own safety procedures. If a store can prove it inspected the area just before the fall and there’s no record of a hazard, they might escape liability even if the video shows the person fall. However, if they did no inspection or records are missing, that can strengthen your case significantly. The bottom line? Video can support a case, but it’s not the full picture. What matters most is the store's knowledge, or lack of it, about the danger. That’s where experienced legal work comes in. If you’ve been injured in a store or other business, don’t assume the video alone will carry your case. Contact us for a free consultation, and let’s make sure we ask and answer the right questions.
So, the company called in an unlikely emergency workforce — a battalion of 1,200 grazing goats.
Lockheed contracted Goat Green, a local Colorado company, to put its herd of hungry Cashmere goats to work clearing 98 acres of wilderness terrain near the company’s worksite, which includes a $350 million satellite-manufacturing facility. The terrain is too steep and hazardous for machine clearing or human crews, but it posed little challenge to the goats. Their mission: to eliminate fuel for future fires and clear paths for firefighters, if needed. The goats could mow down an acre of land dense with plants and underbrush in a day, eliminating invasive vegetation and reducing the terrain to a nearly level, trimmed surface. The goats’ work also prevents overgrowth near powerlines, where fires often start. Lockheed embraced this unusual fire-protection strategy after last year’s 580-acre Quarry Fire came within a mile of the company’s Waterton aerospace facility near Littleton. Five firefighters were injured battling the blaze, which forced the evacuation of 600 homes and put thousands of Colorado residents on edge. Goat Green has contracted with parks, government agencies, municipalities, farms, ranches, and private land owners across 15 states to provide low-tech clearing services. The company’s workforce consists of 1,500 Cashmere goats native to the Himalayas and comfortable in cold, dry temperatures. Unlike most domestic goats destined for the slaughterhouse early in life, Goat Green’s employees work for about 12 years for as many as 265 days a year. Kids are born on the worksites and learn to eat a wide range of weeds and forage as adolescents. These goats even have a retirement plan: After losing their teeth, they live out their final days in peace on a ranch. After a dozen wildfires in the last 10 years in the Littleton area, residents are bracing for another wildfire season. The area is a little bit safer this year, however, thanks to the goats. As one regional fire-protection official said on Facebook, “These goats are a wonderful partner to us.”
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