HONOLULU -- A jury on Monday awarded a California woman $3.6 million after she fell on a Waikiki sidewalk and permanently injured her foot.

Tammie Stopp, 49, suffered severe and permanent injuries to her foot and will never again walk without assistance. The jury took only four-and-a-half hours to find the city negligent.

Stopp strolled on the city's tiled sidewalk on Kalakaua Avenue near Lewers Street while on vacation in October 2002.

"So, this is the most traveled sidewalk in the city, and she's walking down Kalakaua. There's a bicycle coming at her. She takes two steps to the left, falls on her knees, on her hands and traps her left leg under her body. She's a big woman," attorney Michael Green said.

Green said Stopp tripped and fell on an uneven surface created by missing tile pieces. The tiles are about a half-inch thick.

"She didn't know at the time obviously, that the city and county of Honolulu doesn't inspect its streets," Green said. "They don't inspect Kalakaua for holes and defects."

Stopp had 12 surgeries and years of treatment to repair her broken foot. Her attorney said she will be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

"This is outrageous. This should never have happened," Green said.

The city was not available for comment late in the day, but Green confirmed city attorneys are working to get the award reduced.

No matter what happens, Green said he hopes the $3.6 million award will serve a strong message to the city to regularly inspect its sidewalks, especially in heavy pedestrian areas.

"I hope that this verdict and the amount it is... someone will take notice and people will go out and at least look at these sidewalks that are so heavily traveled, to see what the defects are," Green said.

Green said Honolulu is one of the few cities in the nation that does not have a program in place to inspect city streets and sidewalks. Inspections take place only after a complaint is made.