Woman says apartment complex to blame for injury on storm drain

CHARLESTON - A Kanawha County woman filed a personal injury lawsuit against the companies that own and manage her apartment after she was injured on the property.

Ernestine Ruth Plante filed a suit Sept. 17 in Kanawha Circuit Court against Sanctuary Associates LLC and RealCorp Inc.

The companies own and manage Sanctuary Apartments on Crestmont Drive in Charleston.

According to the suit, the companies allowed a dangerous condition to exist July 2006.

"Specifically, Defendants failed to maintain the grate cover to a storm drain located at the end of the Sanctuary Apartments' driveway," the suit says. "The grate cover was broken and or incomplete resulting in exposed areas of the cement drain."

According to the suit, Plante was waiting for the bus at the end of the apartments' driveway. As the bus arrived, she stepped backward and her foot landed in the broken part of the drain. She fell, fracturing her foot and leg, and struck her head on the ground.

Plante claims she sustained serious and severe injuries.

According to the suit, Sanctuary Associates and RealCorp Inc. had a duty to maintain their property in a safe manner, which included fixing the driveway drain grate. However, their negligence caused Plante to be injured.

Plante seeks full and fair compensation for her injuries. Attorney Robert B. Warner is representing Plante.

The case has been assigned to Judge Charles King.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number 07-C-1962