San Diego is paying out $640,000 to settle three lawsuits alleging that damaged city sidewalks and crosswalks caused trip-and-fall incidents resulting in substantial injuries. The largest of the settlements, $275,000, goes to Gertrudis Quinto, 76, who fell on her right shoulder and face after tripping over uneven sidewalk on Chinon Circle in Mira Mesa in June 2022. Quinto said in her lawsuit that she had permanently lost nearly all vision in her right eye because of the fall. A second payout, of $250,000, goes to Paul Hiller, who tripped over an uneven sidewalk on Gresham Street near Fanuel Park and Mission Bay in August 2022. A third payout, of $115,000, goes to Christian Caitlin Garrett, who tripped on pavement in a crosswalk on Pacific Highway near Sports Arena Boulevard. Garrett’s lawsuit said she suffered a blowout fracture of her orbital socket and sustained other injuries in the fall, which took place in January 2023. Garrett, an independent contractor working for the Navy at its SPAWAR facility on Pacific Highway, was walking to work from the parking lot near Enterprise Street when she tripped and fell on her face. Trials had been scheduled in each of the cases, but the judges in each case have canceled them since the settlements have been reached. City officials say an increase in payouts for trip-and-fall cases is one reason why San Diego is facing higher premiums for insurance coverage for lawsuit payouts. The City Council approved the Quinto settlement on Tuesday and the Hiller and Garrett settlements last week.