Silurian
Deity
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2010
- Messages
- 7,567
I'd actually disagree that they're more vulnerable. Vulnerable, in the sense that I'm using it in this context, is about the ease with which the person in question can sustain serious, irreparable harm, under the circumstances we're talking about (In this case, a bar, after midnight). A blind man might not be able to get out of the way as fast as a man with unimpaired sight, but other than that, is on average not much different: a shove against the wall, falling to the ground from a tipped over chair, a wild punch connecting, and so on, would not be any more damaging to a blind man than a sighted man. It might be more disorienting, but not physically damaging.
A pregnant woman, on the other hand, might be able to get out of the way a bit faster than a blind man (Depending on the blind man and the woman, I suppose) but could suffer irreparable damage in the form of a miscarriage from any of those actions I just listed. The possibility that a pregnant woman could suffer serious harm is higher, because all the normal sources of serious injury (Stabbed, shot, broken skull on falling to the ground, etc) apply, while additional sources of injury that would normally be less serious are more so. It is on this basis that I would say a pregnant woman is more vulnerable, and thus a higher liability.
So then what about a person with a medical condition that also increases the effect of injury. Say someone who has recently had major surgery. If they are knocked over then they are a lot more likely to have a more serious injury.