Shadburn v. Whitlow

In Shadburn v. Whitlow, 243 Ga. App. 555, 556-557 (533 SE2d 765) (2000), three women were climbing a flight of stairs to a restaurant when one of them, Whitlow, fell and injured the plaintiff. Id. at 555. Both the plaintiff and her other companion believed that the fall "was caused by loose carpeting which they noticed at the top of the stairwell the evening after the fall; however, all three ladies testified that they were not actually certain what caused Whitlow to fall." Id. at 556. The Court affirmed the trial court's grant of summary judgment because the plaintiff "failed to present any evidence that a condition on the stairs, the loose carpeting, caused Whitlow to fall. The speculation that Whitlow may have tripped on loose carpeting does not sufficiently establish causation." Id.