BELLEVILLE — An underground utility locator claims he became trapped inside a premises in East St. Louis by an auto lock gate and suffered injuries while trying to get off the property.
James Partee filed a complaint March 1 in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Charter Communications LLC and Duneman Demolition, alleging negligence.
Partee alleges in his complaint that on Sept. 27, 2019, he was working as an underground utility locator. He claims he was on the defendant's property on State Street in East St. Louis, which had a "single entrance gate" with no "accessible" security keypad to reopen the gate once a person was inside the premises. He claims he entered the correct security code to get inside the gate and that the gate automatically closed with no way to get out from the inside. Partee alleges he became trapped and fell while trying to exit the premises, suffering injuries.
Partee claims the defendants failed to warn him that the gate would automatically close, failed to provide an "obvious means of egress" from the premises and for confining him for "an unreasonable length of time."
Partee seeks compensation of more than $50,000 and all other just relief. He is represented by Kevin Boyne of Kevin Boyne PC in Belleville and Jason Going of The Law Office of Jason Going in Belleville.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 21-L-0195