Question

The night of December 12th, Ms. Shaina Graves slipped on the ice

after leaving her son's hockey game at the Fordham Center. The fall
resulted in a broken wrist, which has caused Ms. Graves pain and
suffering in addition to medical bills totaling $1,085. The Fordham
Center should be held responsible for her injury, A spokesperson for
the Fordham Center says that the parking lot was salted at 2:00 that
afternoon and they could not have predicted the cold temperatures
that night. However, weather reports did warn of freezing
temperatures, and other businesses report salting again in the
evening. How would the author best respond to a counterclaim that Ms. Graves fell because she was clumsy?

A. By pointing out that several others slipped on the ice and fell that same night.
B. By explaining that she and her son were both carrying armloads of hockey equipment.
C. By sharing the groundskeeper's records that show there was no salting after 2:00.
D. By showing how Ms. Graves has a history of accusing businesses of causing her injury.

Answer 1

The author would best counter the claim that Ms. Graves was clumsy by showing evidence of other people slipping that night, noting the extra challenge of carrying hockey gear, and referencing groundskeeper records of the salting schedule.

Step-by-step explanation:

The author would likely respond to the counterclaim that Ms. Graves fell because she was clumsy by providing evidence that the circumstance of the fall was not solely due to her clumsiness but also due to the negligence of the Fordham Center. An effective response could be pointing out that several others slipped on the ice that same night, showing that the risk of falling was not unique to Ms. Graves and suggests a broader hazard in the parking lot.

The author could also argue for the Fordham Center's responsibility by explaining that Ms. Graves and her son were carrying armloads of hockey equipment, which would make anyone more susceptible to falling, especially if adequate precautions such as re-salting the parking lot were not taken by the center.

Lastly, disputing the argument of clumsiness could involve sharing the groundskeeper's records which show that despite knowing the cold weather forecast, there was no further salting after 2:00 pm. This demonstrates a potential lack of proper care taken by Fordham Center to prevent such accidents.