Court sends slip-and-fall case in parking lot back to judge

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - New Hampshire’s Supreme Court has found in favor of a Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center nurse who slipped and fell on ice in an employee parking lot.

The nurse, Eileen Bloom, was injured in December 2013 and required surgery. She sued Casella Construction Inc., which provides snow removal services for the medical center. She alleged that Casella breached its duty, but Casella said it owed no duty of care to Bloom. A judge ruled in Casella’s favor.

In Bloom’s appeal, the supreme court on Wednesday disagreed with most of her arguments. However, it found that, in addition to snow removal, Casella agreed to provide sanding and salting services to Dartmouth-Hitchcock, when asked. Because it couldn’t be determined whether Dartmouth-Hitchcock asked for such assistance, the court sent the case back to the judge.