Dist.Ct. erred in granting defendants-prison officials’ motion for summary judgment in plaintiff-prisoner’s section 1983 action alleging that defendants violated plaintiff’s 8th Amendment rights by ordering him to walk down prison staircase that was littered with spilled milk and garbage while plaintiff was handcuffed, where plaintiff subsequently fell on stairs and was knocked unconscious. While Dist. Ct. believed that instant risk of harm was not sufficiently serious to establish 8th Amendment claim, Ct. of Appeals found that plaintiff alleged circumstances that was perilous enough to constitute unreasonable risk of serious damage to his future health. Ct. further noted that prisons must address easily preventable, observed hazards that pose significant risk of severe harm to inmates.
