Wednesday, a judge ruled that Ohio University doesn't have to pay a student's $2,870 dental bill.
A judge ruled last week that Ohio University doesn’t have to pay a student’s dental bill for when she fell on ice and broke two of her teeth in February.
Both of Hannah Scolaro's broken teeth needed root canals and crowns, and her insurance refused to pay the $2,870 dental bill, according to court documents.
Scolaro, a sophomore studying biochemistry, fell as she waited at a bus stop Feb. 21 in front of the Academic and Research Center. She intended to go to Nelson Dining Hall when she slipped on the ice and broke her two front teeth on the sidewalk.
Scolaro sued OU for the cost of her dental bill in April. The Ohio Court of Claims ruled in August OU must pay the bill.
OU argued Scolaro should have been more careful of her surroundings because of the accumulation of snow and ice. However, she expressed OU didn’t salt sidewalks at the university bus stop, despite doing so at other sidewalks.
The court discovered OU didn’t comply with the snow and ice removal policy set forth in an Athens City ordinance, according to court documents.
Following the August ruling, OU filed an investigation report reasoning it was not liable for the accumulation of snow and ice.
Judge Patrick M. McGrath overturned the August decision Nov. 4, ruling the university had no duty to remove the ice and snow or warn the public of related dangers.
According to court documents, Scolaro suffered her injuries during the day, “when any naturally occurring accumulations of ice and snow would be visible to the naked eye.”
@megankhenry
