Child drops storm drain grate on another's leg; Housing Authority sued

CHARLESTON - A Kanawha County woman has filed a suit on behalf of her daughter after a neighborhood child dropped a storm drain grate on her leg, breaking it.

Tammy Parsons filed a suit Aug. 28 in Kanawha Circuit Court on behalf of 4-year-old Emily Chapman. The suit is against the Charleston Kanawha Housing Authority.

According to the suit, Chapman was playing with other children at the South Park Road Housing Project, near Kanawha City on June 2, 2006. While they were playing another child raised the grate on a storm drain. The child dropped the grate, and it landed on Chapman's right leg, breaking her leg.

Parsons claims the housing authority is negligent by failing to take the proper steps to ensure that the storm drain grates could not be removed or raised by children, despite being aware that children play in the area of the storm drain.

Parsons seeks judgment against the Charleston Kanawha Housing Authority in an amount adequate to compensate her for her injuries, including Chapman's medical bills.

Attorney Larry O. Ford is representing Parsons. The case has been assigned to Judge Jim Stucky.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number 07-C-1824