BELLEVILLE - Walmart will respond when appropriate to a claim of negligence after a customer alleged she slipped and fell on a substance on the floor of one its store, the company said.
Judy Nelson names as defendants the retail giant and the manager of the store in Cahokia in in a suit filed Oct. 28 in St. Clair County Circuit Court.
Nelson claims her Nov. 7, 2018, visit to the store included the slip and fall on the liquid substance, and states that the "negligence and carelessness" of the defendants "directly
“Safety is a top priority and we expect everyone to have safe and enjoyable shopping experience with us," Walmart spokesperson, Randy Hargrove, told the Record. " We will review the complaint and respond as appropriate with the Court after we are served.”
The defendants are accused in the suit of creating "a dangerous condition by allowing a liquid substance to remain on the floor where customers must walk."
They should have known about the substance and the danger, it is alleged, but the company, through its employees "negligently and carelessly failed to use ordinary care to remove the dangerous condition, barricade the area, or adequately warn of said condition."
The plaintiff added that she suffered "serious, painful and permanent injuries, including but not limited to a displaced fracture of the right patella which required surgery, namely, open reduction with internal fixation."
Nelson, in her claim, states she has spent approximately $27,000 on medical expenses, and predicts she will have to pay out further monies as she continues to suffer from injuries as a result of the fall. She claims to have missed work and has lost wages.
The plaintiff, who is asking for more than $50,000 in damages, is represented by Katie A. Hubbard of Brown and Crouppen of St. Louis.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 2019-L-O753