Episcopal parish sued for woman's slip and fall at retreat center

Pamela Lambert Armstrong of Boone County, Mo. filed a personal injury suit against St. George's Episcopal Church in Belleville claiming she tripped while at the church's retreat center in Columbia on April 10, 2005.

According to the suit filed Feb. 24 in St. Clair County Circuit Court, Armstrong slipped and fell on a wet floor in the bathroom of her guest room causing serious, severe and permanent injuries to right femur, which required surgical intervention and resulted in some disfigurement.

"The flooring in the bathroom of Armstrong's assigned room presented an unreasonable risk of harm to people on their property when the floor was wet," the complaint states.

Armstrong claims the church failed to install proper matting in the bathroom of her guestroom, failed to install a slip-resistant type of flooring, such as ceramic tile in the bathroom, and failed to warn her of the unusually slick nature of the bathroom floor when wet.

"The defendant could reasonably expect that people on the property would not discover or realize the danger or would fail to protect themselves against such a danger," the complaint states.

Armstrong claims her injury caused pain in her right leg and hip and difficultly ambulating, and made her incur more than $33,000 in medical expenses. She also claims to have lost more than $13,000 in wages and has lost the ability to enjoy life.

Represented by Jill Bollwerk of Bollwerk & Ryan in St. Louis and Terrance O'Leary of Bosslet & O'Leary of Granite City, Armstrong is seeking damages in excess of $50,000, plus all costs of the suit.

06 L 120 (20th Circuit)