CHARLESTON – A woman has sued the City of Charleston claiming she was injured by “green slime” in a puddle of water along a city road.
Elizabeth Crawford filed her complaint in Kanawha Circuit Court against the city.
According to her complaint, Crawford was walking along Wilkie Drive through a neighborhood near her Charleston home when she saw a car coming toward her. With no sidewalk, she says she moved to the side of the road and was forced to step into a large pool of water that had collected.
“Unbeknownst to her at that time, there was a large area of ‘green slime’ underneath the water, an as soon as she stepped into the large pool of water, she immediately fell due in part to the slime like substance hiding underneath the collective pool of water on the road,” the complaint states. “The slime like substance which the plaintiff fell on was some sort of growth that had been present for a considerable period of time due to the City of Charleston’s negligent failure to maintain said road.”
Crawford says the car stopped, and the driver and two passengers checked on her. She was offered a ride home, but declined because she was wet from the fall and didn’t want to get the vehicle dirty. She walked home, changed clothes and went to the emergency room at CAMC General.
Crawford says she suffered physical injuries, pain and mental anguish and will do so in the future. She also says she has incurred medical expenses.
She seeks compensatory damages as well as pre- and post-judgment interest and other relief.
In its response, the city denies the allegations and seeks to have the case dismissed.
Crawford is being represented by David M. Adkins of The Adkins Law Firm in Hurricane. The city is being represented by Assistant City Attorney Joseph J. Baldwin. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Joanna Tabit.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 20-C-594