A Madison County woman has filed suit against the city of Edwardsville after she claims she fell and broke her hip.
Elizabeth Reynolds claims she was attempting to exit the Wildey Theater at 252 North Main St. in Edwardsville after watching a performance on June 19, 2012. As she walked through the west side exit along College Street, Reynolds fell on the steeply sloped sidewalk and broke her hip, states the complaint filed June 19 in Madison County Circuit Court.
The country rock band Pure Prairie League performed at the Wildey on June 19, 2012.
“Defendant undertook a complete renovation of said Wildey Theater at a cost of millions of dollars,” the suit states. “That during said renovations, it should have been, or actually was, readily apparent to defendant that the design of the height of the doors on the west side of the Wildey Theater, in relation to distance to the sidewalk beneath said doors was defective and extremely dangerous.”
Because of her fall, Reynolds has been forced to undergo surgery to repair her fractured hip. She also endured extreme pain and suffering, the complaint says.
Reynolds blames Edwardsville for causing her fall, saying the city negligently and improperly installed the sidewalk immediately beneath the door, failed to adequately inspect the theater for hazards, failed to adequately inspect the sidewalk and failed to warn of an unreasonably dangerous condition.
In her complaint, Reynolds seeks an unspecified judgment.
She will be represented by Jack B. Spooner of Spooner Law in St. Louis.
On June 28, the Wildey Theater will stage “The Courthouse Steps,” an annual “comical parody” this year featuring local attorneys Ray Fournie and Bob Raleigh. The performance, which begins at 7 p.m., includes a “mini musical show within a show lampooning Mayor Bloomberg’s feared food police all set to songs from Sound of Music!”
“And to help loosen up your funny bones, there will be a Pre-Party, sponsored by Gori Julian & Associates, at the Wildey from 5 – 7,” states a promotion for the event.
Madison County Circuit Court case number: 13-L-1022.