A New Jersey woman is suing a local police department for failing to prevent her from falling off a chair and fracturing her hip while she was being booked for drunken driving.

Linda Leone admitted having several drinks before getting in her car around 8 a.m. on April 22, 2010. A short time later, Officer Michael Allen arrested Leone when he found her car stopped by the side of the road with the transmission in drive. While Allen was booking Leone, she repeatedly fell out of a chair, eventually remaining on the floor where she fell asleep.

Leone sued the police department in 2012 for failing to prevent her from falling and breaking her hip, but the lower court dismissed the case. Recently, the appellate court allowed the case to move forward, citing previous court findings requiring police to provide a reasonable standard of care for arrestees in their custody.

Belmar Mayor Matthew Doherty said the appellate court's decision to allow the suit to proceed is "ridiculous" and a "waste of taxpayers' dollars."

—Source: njadvancemedia.com