I'm so old, I remember when people were charged with responsibility for their own actions

Greenwich forced to fork over $2 million to woman who slipped on ice.

GREENWICH — A Stamford woman who was injured after slipping on snow and ice in the Greenwich Town Hall parking lot will receive $2.15 million in damages after a years-long battle in civil court.

Angela Willauer suffered permanent injuries, including a concussion and memory loss, after the fall more than five years ago, according to documents filed by her attorney in Stamford Superior Court. Last month, a jury found that Willauer’s injuries were due to the dangerous parking lot and the town, which failed to exercise “reasonable care” to correct the conditions.

And so on. A person parks in a snow-filled lot, prances across it, slips, falls, and collects $2 million for her efforts. Court records indicate a whopping $6,500 in medical bills which, if I know my personal injury colleagues, were comprised largely of the billings from a friendly chiropractic. I won’t say “collusion”, though “cooperative” comes to mind.

Years ago I inadvertently committed malpractice by counseling disappointed would-be litigants who showed up in my office that damages alone weren’t enough; they would have to show that someone else was at fault before they could collect their windfall. Silly me.