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ostinmontana wrote on Sep 2, 2008 6:27 PM:

" I really agree with lrigettub. I hope this goads the city to adequately care for what it needs to. Our city government has not taken care of too many things in our fair city for far too many years. "

ostinmontana wrote on Sep 2, 2008 5:11 PM:

" I think many of the posters on here have absolutely no clue about the elderly. People who say this woman must have been sick/infirm or without enough judgment enough to walk on a public sidewalk are insensitive and wrong. Many of those lucky enough to make it into advanced age continue to have active minds and bodies--and they exercise them. To say that this woman should not have been walking on a public sidewalk is ludicrous.

It should also be noted that the average person lucky enough to make it to the age of 86 still has a decade of life expectancy left at that age. Thus, due to Butte Silver Bow's negligence, this woman was likely robbed of ten years of her life. That's ten years she missed and was missed her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and all the other people she left behind. One cannot put a price on those years and it is unfortunate that the posters here believe that the price a jury put on those years is inappropriate. "

bigskymtnman wrote on Aug 30, 2008 9:05 PM:

" I'm sorry for your loss. Where were you when your mother/mother-in-law fell? If the sidewalk was in such disrepair why did the 86 yo woman walk on it. Bad judgement? And if you say she was old and didn't have as good of judgement as she did have when she was younger, why was she on her own? I agree you should get out of pocket expenses for her medical care other than that nothing. "

annd wrote on Aug 28, 2008 2:30 PM:

" The bigger part of the picture is that a woman, who was capable of walking to do errands sets off on her journey that day, stumbles on a badly crumbled sidewalk -- and there weren't other options of where to walk (fenced area or the busy street)(that the city and state disagree with on which entity has the responsibility to upkeep) and suffers a traumatic head injury, resulting in loss of life. The sidewalk was not just badly deteriorated, but looked as though (the condition of this sidewalk) an earthquake had erupted in that spot. There are some complicating factors in the case -- it should have been maintained and not only this woman, but others could have been seriously hurt -- if my loved one died in this manner, I'd probably opt for a larger judgment also "

MTWyld2006 wrote on Aug 28, 2008 5:10 AM:

" It's really sad that we live in a society that is so "sue happy". Working as a workers' comp adjuster, it just always amazes me that nobody takes responsibility for what they do anymore. It's always someone else's fault. Not only is this the case in workers' comp, but also in the property and liability and human rights complaint sides as well. Hopefully this trial is short and sweet and the only award is for medical reimbursement. At the age of 86, I am pretty certain that Ms. Comer had Medicare and possibly a supplement insurance that more than likely paid the majority of her medical anyway. Will the family be reimbursing Medicare in the event they are awarded the money? And by the way....what are "special damages"????

I can understand the family's demand for medical bill reimbursement...but to expect any additional monies is totally absurd. Condolences to the Sims family on the loss of their mother however. "

ButteSucks wrote on Aug 27, 2008 11:48 PM:

" Dear Mary and Paul Sims, if you win your lawsuit you will only be taking the money desperately needed for Butte schools, police and fire department. We won't have much money left to fix all the other roads and sidewalks next summer and Butte taxpayers will have to cough up the half million dollars for you. Thanks for caring. "

lrigettub wrote on Aug 27, 2008 11:09 PM:

" Maybe this will motivate the city to maintain our streets and sidewalks. I can't even take a walk on the sidewalks without constantly avoiding a fall let alone drive the car 2 feet without hitting a hole. "

puttin30 wrote on Aug 27, 2008 8:27 PM:

" Are you kidding me!!! I think the paper has left out Mr. Sims' title, which happens to be Dr. Sims. He doesn't make enough money off of us being the only Oral Surgeon in town that he needs to squeeze a little more out of us. I mean don't get me wrong, I am VERY sorry for their loss. But do they really need any more of our money? I agree with "say what" maybe if they had been there she wouldn't have been walking. "

montana native wrote on Aug 27, 2008 12:33 PM:

" Half a million, I'm sorry your family or freind died but that doesnt give you a free card to be a greedy little piggy. "

saywhat? wrote on Aug 27, 2008 9:34 AM:

" I thought the property owners were responsible for the maintenance of the sidewalks in front of their property. I can maybe understand the medical bills and such but $500,000? For what? Lost income that an 86 year old woman was expected to earn? If Mary and Paul Sims were so concerned about the welfare of Mina Comer, perhaps they should have been there to give her a ride that day. Maybe her estate should sue them for negligence. "

KnuckleHead wrote on Aug 27, 2008 8:11 AM:

" I'm sorry the 86 year old lady died, but people have a tendancy to do that at that age. Besides, what state do we live in, in what region, at what altitude? There's NO way that the city/county government can ever keep all the sidewalks snow/ice free all the time, that's the reality of it. They were not negligent. Yes, the word frivolous does come to mind. "

greghayden7079 wrote on Aug 27, 2008 6:24 AM:

" I love how the county and state are arguing that they are not responsible for the sidewalk. I guess we now know why are our streets and sidewalks are in the condition they are. "

you called someone an idiot, a racist, a dope, a moron, etc. Please, no name-calling or profanity (or veiled profanity -- #$%^&*).

you rambled, failed to stay on topic or exhibited troll-like behavior intended to hijack the discussion at hand.

YOU SHOUTED YOUR COMMENT IN ALL CAPS. This is hard to read and annoys readers.

you have issues with a business. Have a bad meal? Feel you were overcharged at the store? New car is a lemon? Contact the business directly with your customer service concerns.

you believe the newspaper's coverage is unfair. It would be better to write the editor at editor@mtstandard.com, or call Editor Gerry O'Brien at 496-5513 or Opinion Editor Roberta Stauffer at 496-5514. This is a forum for community discussion, not for media criticism. We'd rather address your concerns directly.

you included an e-mail address or phone number, pretended to be someone you aren't or offered a comment that makes no sense.

you accused someone of a crime or assigned guilt or punishment to someone suspected of a crime.

your comment is in really poor taste.
The Montana Standard reserves the right to remove comments considered inappropriate for the community forum.

Negligence trial opens in Butte

By Justin Post - 08/27/2008

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