BELLEVILLE - A trip to bingo night at city hall led to a slip and fall on an uneven surface disguised by a rug, according to a recently filed lawsuit.
Lorastine Doss claims she was seriously injured following the fall just inside Centreville City Hall on Nov. 1, 2018, the first Thursday of the month and bingo night at the hall.
Doss filed suit against the city Oct. 28 in St. Clair County Circuit Court, citing 22 separate acts of negligence related to the alleged uneven surface, the placing of the rug, and a failure to warn her of the dangerous condition.
She accuses the city of both negligence and willful and wanton conduct that caused her to fall "with great force and violence" just inside the entryway to the Bond Avenue building. The city did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Record.
The plaintiff is seeking more than $50,000 in damages for the "serious and significant injuries" she suffered, including to her neck, left knee, right knee, left and right lips, to her right and left sides, back and other other body parts, according to the complaint.
In addition, Doss claims to have incurred medical, hospital and surgical bills, and will continue to do so in the future as she deals with "disability, disfigurement, great pain and mental anguish, as well as loss of a normal life."
Among the 22 separate negligent and careless acts the city is accused of committing are that they attempted to cover up the uneven surface, that its employees failed to inspect, then repair the area, and that they failed to warn the plaintiff and others by not posting signs.
The defendant, through its vicarious liability as an employer, is accused of committing the negligent acts in a "willful and wanton" way.
The plaintiff is represented by Daniel Katzman of Katzman & Sugden in Belleville.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 2019-L-0751.