Glisson
The wife of a recently deceased man claims the man died from kidney failure, which he allegedly developed after falling over a crate left in an aisle at Walmart.
Cheryl Raines filed a lawsuit March 29 in Madison County Circuit Court against Walmart and its manager at a Jerseyville store, Michael Coop.
In her complaint, Cheryl Raines alleges her husband, Roger Raines, was shopping at the Walmart at 1316 South State Street on Aug. 6, 2010, when he encountered a crate with a roll of fabric laid on top of it. The crate was serving its purpose as a display in an aisle next to a desk, according to the complaint. However, because of its location, it was difficult to see, the suit states.
"As Roger Raines was walking down the aisle, he tripped over the crate and fabric roll, which struck him below his knees, causing him to fall with great force and violence, thereby injuring himself," the complaint says.
Because of his fall, Roger Raines developed renal failure, which is commonly referred to as kidney failure, and rhabdomyolysis, which is a condition in which skeletal tissue rapidly breaks down, according to the complaint. Cheryl Raines claims her husband also experienced great pain and suffering for the 14 days from the fall until his death and incurred medical costs.
Due to her husband's death, Cheryl Raines lost his companionship and society and incurred funeral and burial costs, the suit states.
She blames Walmart and Coop for contributing to her husband's death, saying they negligently placed a crate in one of the aisles, put a display that was a tripping hazard into the middle of an aisle and failed to warn customers of the dangerous display.
In her six-count complaint, Cheryl Raines is seeking an unspecified judgment of more than the minimum jurisdictional limits of Madison County Circuit Court, plus damages of more than $100,000.
Michael P. Glisson of Williamson, Webster, Falb and Glisson in Alton will be representing her.
Madison County Circuit Court case number: 12-L-391.