$5 Million Policy-Limits Settlement for Two Plaintiffs After Visalia Stage Railing Collapse

Kristopher Peerali, Serena Peerali, and Ali Hosseini secured a $5,000,000 policy-limits settlement for two plaintiffs who suffered catastrophic injuries after a stage railing collapsed at a City of Visalia convention center.

The two plaintiffs were at the venue when one of them, carrying a table over a stage railing to hand down to the other, fell as the railing gave way. The first plaintiff landed on the second, and both sustained catastrophic injuries. Plaintiff 1 suffered a skull fracture, an intracranial hemorrhage, and a traumatic brain injury. Plaintiff 2 suffered a femoral neck fracture that required surgical intervention, including intramedullary nailing via a trochanteric cephalomedullary nail with a 105mm lag screw.

Liability was the central fight. The City of Visalia disputed responsibility for the railing failure and sought to place full blame on Plaintiff 1, arguing that carrying a table over the railing was an unsafe act that caused the incident. Peerali Law conducted comprehensive discovery across every liability and damages issue, took the depositions the case required, and retained experts to establish both the defective condition of the railing and the full scope of each plaintiff’s injuries. The team’s argument was direct: the City owned the venue and was responsible for maintaining a structurally sound railing, and a properly maintained railing does not fail – regardless of what either plaintiff was doing at the time.

The case resolved before trial for the full $5,000,000.00 policy limits, split between the two plaintiffs. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, contact us today to discuss your case.