In January of 2006, grandmother Hannalore Hoffmann offered to help her daughter by taking her 6-month-old granddaughter Molly when the child didn't go back to sleep after an early morning feeding. It was 5:30 a.m., and the Australian family was on vacation together at a rental cottage. Hoffman held the baby in her arms as she headed downstairs, but she stumbled on the stairs -- and unfortunately, she fell to the bottom, still grasping little Molly.
The baby was badly injured, and today the 5-year-old girl is severely disabled as a result of the fall.
It sounds like a tragic, random accident ... but shockingly, Hoffman's daughter and son-in-law sued her for tripping on those steps in 2006. Even more shocking: this week the court ruled against the grandmother and found her legally responsible for the child's head injuries.
In court, Hoffman claimed that she had been to the holiday home several times and knew the staircase well. She'd asked her daughter to keep the light on in the room to illuminate the stairs—but she didn't turn on the staircase lights themselves, out of concern she'd wake other family members.
More from The Stir: Toddler Rides Bike Into Rush Hour Traffic While Grandpa Is Babysitting (VIDEO)
Although she says she descended slowly and carefully, she still lost her footing towards the bottom, and although she reached for the balustrade it didn't stop her fall.
In his court decision on Tuesday, Justice Robert Shallcross Hulme said,
Did (Hoffmann) exercise such care in this case? In my view she did not. I accept that she thought that she was being careful. I accept that often babies are attended to in the middle of the night, and in order that other members of a household are not disturbed, without lights being turned on. Nevertheless, when regard is had to the totality of circumstances ... I am persuaded that she did not take that reasonable care.
So now liability has been established and I assume they'll move on to damages, and this grandmother—who has surely lost any kind of family connection with her daughter and granddaughter by now, not to mention dealing with the guilt—will probably lose every last cent show owns.
I don't know about you, but I think it's unbelievably awful the family sued this woman. I mean, assuming she wasn't DRUNK or something, this sounds like the sort of accident that could have happened to anyone. Yes, she probably should have turned on the light, but it was a mistake made at 5:30 a.m. while she was trying to help the whole family get some sleep—and who's to say that would have stopped her from falling anyway?
The accident is tragic enough on its own, I can't imagine how it could possibly help anyone to break up the family for the sake of a lawsuit. I feel terrible for everyone involved, but maybe especially for Mrs. Hoffman, who surely would give anything to go back to that morning ... and let her daughter be the one to deal with her wakeful baby.
What do you think of this story? Can you imagine suing your own parent for an accident that happened on their watch?
Image via Flickr/lilzeto
This Hot Dad Wants to Do Your Ironing
This Hot Dad Wants to Cook You Dinner
This Hot Dad Cooks AND Does the Dishes
Kanye West is Gay?! 
Comments 154
That being said, what a couple of jerks!
Like the author said, unless she was drunk, then she was not intentionaly negligent. It could happen to anyone!
I almost had the same thing happen to me when living on the top floor of an apt complex. Fortunately, my child was already strapped into her infant carseat, as we were heading to the car. I tripped, fell, broke my foot, and dropped my daughter down 7 stairs.
She was completely unharmed, thank goodness! But point being, it was daylight, I was young and sturdy, and still fell down stairs.
This poor grandmother....
i second @PonyChaser's comment. seriuosly, accidents happen. personally, it sounds like the son & wife are not adapting to taking care of a special needs child and think money / attention will help them or something. it's terrible, and my heart goes out to this poor grandmother.
anyone can have an accident ANYtime... that's why they're even called accidents. but anger and greed can turn even the most terrible accident into an even bigger tragedy. :( shame on these parents for suing the grandmother.
Anyone who thinks the family is justified to sue this grandmother is 12 cans short of a 6 pack... Seriously, not everything has someone or something to blame. Shit happens, that's life.
This is just disgusting.
When my son was an infant, my husband was taking him downstairs to get ready to go out and slipped on a step and fell down almost 10 steps with him in his arms. Thankfully, my son wasn't hurt but even if he was I know that it was an accident!
These parents should be ashamed of themselves for suing her. I guess the lesson learned here is that grandparents shouldn't help their children with their children right? Like the saying goes "No good deed goes unpunished"
I agree with Ponychaser.
Should I have been charged with child endangerment or have my child taken from me because I fell down the stairs with him when he was only about 6weeks old? I was at a friends house and her (then 2yr old) son ran up the stairs as I was coming down and I tripped over her son with mine in my arms. Luckily I was able to sort-of sit down on my butt and slide down the stairs while clutching my son to my chest trying to keep him as stable as possible. This was obviously an accident. I don't think the Grandma wanted to fall down the stairs with her grandchild. What a horrible nasty person you have to be to sue your mother when she was just trying to be helpful and it was an accident.
I could not imagen taking my family to court over something like that.. its not like granny meant to fall