BELLEVILLE – A woman who claims she became paraplegic after falling from a walker is suing the manufacturer, medical providers and Amazon for selling her the product.
Plaintiffs Amy Pashea and John Pashea filed a lawsuit in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against manufacturer Comodita, LLC, Robert Scanlon, M.D., Sandra Grochowski, M.D., and Anderson Hospital, Inc.
According to the lawsuit, Amy Pashea claims that the Tipo petite walker she used was defective in that its back strap broke.
"Plaintiff fell from the seat of her walker striking her back against the wall causing a fracture and spinal cordd injury which has left her paraplegic," the suit claims.
The lawsuit claims Scanlon failed to perform proper tests and procedures to correctly diagnose a back injury ultimately leading to her paralysis. He allegedly failed to elicit an accurate medical history, perform an adequate musculoskeletal and neurological examination, order a CT scanh of the thoracic spine and diagnose the plaintiff's broken back.
As a result of her injuries, Amy Pashea claims she has suffered "pain, mental anguish, disability, and disfigurement" and that she has incurred incurred medical costs and will continue to require medical care to recover from her injuries. The lawsuit claims that the injuries have affected her ability to enjoy regular activities and will impact her ability to earn future income.
As her husband, John alleges that as a result of the incident, he has been deprived of his wife's companionship, consortium, support, and services.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages in excess of $75,000, plus court costs and any other relief the court deems proper. They are represented in this case by attorney Thomas Q. Keefe, Jr. of Keefe, Keefe & Unsell, P.C. in Belleville.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 22LA0352