Slip and fall at St. Elizabeth's leads to suit

A Belleville hospital is accused of negligence for allowing ice to form on a parking lot, allegedly causing a man to slip and fall.   

Thomas H. Clements and Cindi Clements filed a complaint on Dec. 5 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against St. Elizabeth's Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis.

The alleged incident happened Feb. 5, 2011 in a St. Elizabeth's Hospital parking lot that runs along Lincoln Street. According to the complaint, snow had been shoveled into a pile in the northern corner of the lot. Thomas Clements says some of the snow melted, causing water to run downhill across the parking lot. The water "froze into an invisible layer of smooth ice forming an unnatural accumulation," the complaint reads.

Clements says he slipped on the ice and fell, causing him to receive serious injuries. He accuses St. Elizabeth's Hospital of negligence for allegedly allowing snow to be piled into an area that allowed it to melt, run downhill and refreeze.  Clements says the hospital should have avoided the dangerous conditions or warned visitors of the possible hazards.    

Clements is asking to be awarded more than $50,000 in damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of a normal life and lost earnings. His wife, Cindi Clements, is suing for loss of consortium and also asking for more than $50,000 in damages.

Attorney Eugene C. Menges of Belleville represents the couple.

St. Clair County Circuit Court Case No. 12-L-649