'Taste of Parkersburg' co-sponsors named in personal injury suit

PARKERSBURG – A Parkersburg man has served up a lawsuit on the sponsors of an event promoting the area's culinary expertise.

The Wood County Commission and city of Parkersburg are named as co-defendants in a personal injury suit filed by Earl Khosrovi. In his complaint filed April 16 in Wood Circuit Court, Khosrovi, 37, alleges poor lighting at last year's "Taste of Parkersburg" event caused him to fall and injury himself.

According to the suit, Khosrovi attended Taste of Parkersburg on Sept. 17, 2011. It was held on an unspecified parking lot in the downtown area.

Sometime between 7:30 and 8 p.m., Khosrovi "tripped on a parking stop on the premises and fell." His fall, Khosrovi alleges, was a result of inadequate lighting and "no warning that the parking stop was in his path."

As a result of the fall, Khosrovi alleges he "sustained serious injuries to his leg."

The commission and the city, Khosrovi says, had a duty "to light the premises or cordon off the parking stops to avoid patrons falling over these." As a result, Khosrovi alleges he's incurred medical bills and lost wages, and suffered "pain, suffering and mental anguish."

The Wood County Development Authority, and Downtown Development Task Force, which co-sponsored the event, are named as co-defendants in the suit.

Khosrovi seeks unspecified damages, interest and courts costs. He is represented by Nathan Vessels with the Marietta, Ohio law firm of Fields, Dehmlow and Vessels.

The case is assigned to Judge Jeffrey B. Reed.

Wood Circuit Court case number 12-C-160