Woman falls on coat hanger, seeks $200K

CHARLESTON - A woman says she tripped over a broken coat hanger at the St. Albans Value City and is entitled to $200,000.

Mary Tobia filed a lawsuit Aug. 3 in Kanawha Circuit Court, claiming she was shopping Aug. 7, 2004, when she "fell on a piece of plastic clothes hanger and landed on the floor."

She says the fall caused serious injuries to her mind and body, including her leg and hip, and became unable to tend to her dying husband, who passed away eight days later.

In addition to that, she says she could not attend to her adopted son or clean her house, and that she had to buy an automatic wheelchair.

"Plaintiff was caused inconvenience in being required to drive to doctors for appointments and treatment, to obtain alternate transportation due to not being able to drive and even had to buy an automatic wheelchair, and to make numerous phone calls to doctors, hospitals, attorneys and other professionals related to said accident," the complaint says.

Attorney Walter Wagner of Dunbar is representing Tobia, who says she will have to receive future medical treatment because of the incident.

She adds that her future treatment includes shots in her spine.

Judge Louis Bloom has been assigned the case.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number 06-C-1529