Slip on solvent leads to lawsuit

A man claims he experienced pain, stiffness and loss in the range of motion to his knee after he fell on a slippery floor at Highland Communication Services.

Lonnie R. Moon filed a lawsuit April 23 in Madison County Circuit Court against Steve Ferguson, Eric Liening and John Doe.

In his complaint, Moon claims he was delivering a load of cable to Highland Communication Services on April 14, 2011, when he asked where the bathrooms were located.

"While taking the exact route as directed by Defendant Eric Liening, Plaintiff slipped and fell on warehouse floor," the suit states. "After falling on the warehouse floor, Plaintiff immediately began feeling a burning sensation in his arms and legs. Plaintiff realized there must have been some type of solvent on the floor to cause his skin to burn."

At the time of Moon's trip to the restroom, workers were stripping the floor, the complaint says.

After his fall, Moon claims he experienced pain in his groin area, knee and back; lost wages and his earning capacity; and lost his household services. He also incurred medical costs, suffered mental anguish, experienced physical injuries and disfigurement and was required to undergo extensive medical procedures, according to the complaint.

When Liening found out about Moon's fall, he apologized and said he forgot about the stripping taking place, the suit states. Liening also immediately reported the fall to Ferguson, the complaint says.

Still, Moon named Ferguson and Liening as defendants, saying they negligently failed to place signs around the wet floor, failed to warn of the slippery floor and failed to supervise the construction crew working on the floors.

In his complaint, Moon seeks an unspecified judgment, plus costs, pre- and post-judgment interest and other relief the court deems just.

Cynthia O. MacPherson and Ashleigh MacPherson of MacPherson Law Center in Mountain Grove, Mo. will be representing him.

Madison County Circuit Court case number: 12-L-619.