Fall at St. Thomas Airport Prompts Negligence Lawsuit Against VIPA and Tenants

The Fadools seek damages after an alleged hazardous construction site led to Mr. Fadool’s fall, causing severe injuries and long-term medical issues.

The V.I. Port Authority and one of its tenants at the Cyril E. King Airport are defending themselves against claims of negligence, after a man said an unsafe construction area with poor signage caused his fall in 2023. According to court documents, Timothy and Genevieve Fadool, a couple from Amherst, Virginia, arrived in the Virgin Islands in early August of 2023, landing at the Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas. They presented themselves at the Hertz counter, and Mr. Fadool says he was told to follow the signs to the rental car lot.

According to the lawsuit filed on Tuesday, “the Premises and construction was in a confusing and disorganized state with a broken down chain-linked fence and other debris littered about the Premises where Plaintiff was directed to walk.” Additionally, Mr. Fadool claims that the Hertz representative gave unclear directions, “causing Plaintiff to get turned around and lost.” An unnamed “man in uniform” reportedly “directed Plaintiff through a chain-linked fence and up a grassy path with no handrails,” the lawsuit claims.