HUNTINGTON —An elderly woman is suing Red Lobster after she claims she was injured when she fell leaving the restaurant.
Helen Hall, who was 89 at the time of the incident, went to the Huntington Red Lobster on Sept. 8, 2018, according to a complaint filed in Cabell Circuit Court.
Hall claims she had never been to the Huntington location and was leaving the restaurant when she fell down a poorly lit stairwell and became injured.
The complaint alleges the stairwell was uneven and defectively designed, which caused Hall not to be able to see.
"The stairway is designed with a linear, striped pattern that runs laterally across the step nosings, thereby making the stairs, and their unevenness nearly impossible to see," the complaint states.
Hall claims she sustained a broken neck as a result of the negligence of Red Lobster in failing to warn customers about the stairwell.
The stairwell also did not have a handrail or any warnings to warn patrons of its existence, according to the suit.
Hall claims Red Lobster had a duty to ensure that the property was safe for its intended purpose and to fix any dangerous conditions that existed on the property so that patrons wouldn't become injured while on the property.
The defendant was negligent and breached its duty to Hall when it failed to maintain its property safely and caused Hall's injuries, according to the suit.
Hall claims Red Lobster should have followed regulations that were created with the purpose of protecting individuals like Hall from harm and in failing to follow those regulations, breached its duty and caused injuries and damages.
Hall is seeking compensatory damages. She is represented by Christen M. Justice of Slocumb Law Firm in Charleston.
The case is assigned to Circuit Judge Paul T. Farrell.
Cabell Circuit Court Case number: 19-C-515