SWIC and Bi-State sued over woman's trip at Metrolink station

A St. Clair County woman says she was hurt when she tripped on an uneven sidewalk at a Belleville Metrolink train station.

Leola Holmes filed a lawsuit Feb. 14 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Bi-State Development Agency of the Illinois-Missouri Metropolitan District, doing business as Metro. The Board of Trustees of Southwestern Illinois College also is named as a defendant.

The alleged incident happened as Holmes was walking on a sidewalk at the Carlyle Avenue Metrolink train terminal in April 2011, according to the complaint. The woman claims she was walking among a crowd of people who were all exiting the train to the the Southwestern Illinois College campus.

Because of the crowd of people, Holmes says she could not adequately see the walkway in front of her. She says she tripped on a section of the sidewalk where the concrete changed to bricks, which caused an abrupt change in height in the walkway.

Holmes accuses Metro and SWIC, who are responsible for maintaining the sidewalk, of negligence for failing to fix the uneven surface or warn pedestrians of its dangers. She is asking for more than $100,000 in damages for medical expenses and court costs.

Holmes is represented by attorney Stephen J. Telken of East St. Louis.

St. Clair County Circuit Court Case No. 12-L-85