A Connecticut resident has filed a lawsuit against two Florida homeowners, claiming negligence after suffering severe injuries from a fall on their property. Esther Tamara Trantales initiated the complaint in the Circuit Court for the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County, Florida, on November 12, 2024, targeting defendants Regina Papagoda and William Rourke.
The incident in question occurred on January 28, 2023, at the residence located at 381 Countryside Key Blvd., Oldsmar, Florida. Trantales was visiting as a guest when she fell down a stairway due to an absent handrail, resulting in serious injuries including a brain bleed. The plaintiff argues that the stairway violated Florida Building Codes by lacking continuous handrailing from top to bottom. According to the complaint, both Papagoda and Rourke were aware or should have been aware of this hazardous condition but failed to rectify it or warn visitors of its dangers.
Trantales is seeking damages exceeding $50,000 for her injuries which include bodily harm, physical pain and suffering, disability, mental anguish, loss of wages and earning capacity, permanent injury within medical probability, and medical expenses. The lawsuit accuses both defendants of breaching their duty to maintain safe premises and alleges that their negligence directly led to her fall and subsequent injuries.
Representing Trantales are attorneys Hunter A. Higdon, Wolfgang M. Florin, and Christopher D. Gray from Florin Gray law firm based in Lutz, Florida. The case is identified under Case Number: 24-004963-CI with Ken Burke serving as Clerk of the Circuit Court for Pinellas County.