Man stabbed by needle sues

HUNTINGTON - A Cabell County man says he was punctured by a medical needle and is suing his landlord.

David Walden filed the lawsuit May 3 in Cabell Circuit Court against Richie Blevins.

Walden says he lived on Green Valley Road in Huntington on May 25, 2006 when a used medical needle located on the property punctured his skin.

"The defendant Blevins had a duty to see that the property… was kept in a reasonably safe condition for his tenants," the complaint says.

He also charges that the needle was discarded by a fellow tenant and that Blevins should have known that person was a health and safety risk to others living in the building.

"The defendant was negligent in his care and maintenance of the property where the plaintiff lived and that the plaintiff has suffered damages as a result of said negligence," the complaint says.

Walden says he suffered physical and emotional injuries and incurred medical bills. He is seeking special and general damages for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress, net economic losses, annoyance, aggravation and inconvenience.

He is also seeking punitive damages.

Attorney Christopher Heavens of Heavens Law Offices in Charleston is the plaintiff's attorney.

Judge David Pancake has been assigned the case.

Cabell Circuit Court case number 06-C-316