Broken nose at haunted house prompts suit

Instead of paying for a ghoulishly good time, Shauna Porter claims she got more than she bargained for.

In a suit filed Oct. 12, Porter claims that she broke her nose while visiting the Haunting of the Grand haunted house in October 1996. A suit originally filed in 1998 by Porter's mother, Sylvia Porter, was dismissed by Judge George Moran in 2003 on a motion to dismiss for failure to prosecute by defense attorney James A. Gottschalk.

The suit names Ed McPike, owner of Haunting of the Grand, as defendant.

Alleging that the walls were not properly painted to warn her that the walls were there, Porter says her face struck a concealed wall

Porter is seeking damages in excess of $15,000 and other relief that the court deems proper, claiming she has suffered a disability resulting from the alleged injury.

She claims that McPike failed to provide adequate lighting and failed to safely walk her through the haunted house, located on Market Street in Alton.

Porter also claims she will be reasonably certain to experience pain and suffering in the future, and also that she has spent money and will have to spend money in the future for medical treatment.

The case filed Tuesday has been assigned to Judge Andy Matoesian. Porter is again represented by Robert Forbes of Alton. In the case filed in 1998, McPike was represented by Seibel and Eckenrode of St Louis.

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