A roof collapsed at a Family Dollar store in Kansas City, Missouri (KCTV).
A woman is suing Family Dollar after a roof collapsed at one of its stores in Missouri, killing a man and severely injuring her, as well as others who were inside, she says.
Tammy Martin filed the lawsuit Friday against Family Dollar Stores of Missouri, LLC, Family Dollar, Inc and Arthur Fels Company, which owns the property in which the store sits, claiming the parties” negligence led to the fatal incident.
Martin and others were shopping at the Kansas City store on July 27 when the roof collapsed “falling directly onto Plaintiff, crushing her,” the suit stated.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
“The heavy debris which fell onto Plaintiff caused severe and permanent injuries to Plaintiff’s entire body, including but not limited to her head, face, neck, back, spine, pelvis, arms, hands, and legs,” the lawsuit said.
The main cause of the collapse, the lawsuit claims, stemmed from a 2016 accident when a car crashed into the store which knocked down a support pillar in the front of the building. That aforementioned pillar was never repaired, plaintiff lawyers allege.
Per the suit, store operators were told before the roof collapse that it “looked as if it was going to fall.”
“Defendants knew or should have known The Store, including the roof, was not reasonably safe,” the lawsuit said.
More than Law&Crime: ‘Nobody gives a f— about your stupid little planes’: Woman’s First Amendment rights ‘silenced’ after roaring Blue Angels show contributed to frail cat’s death, lawsuit claims
Because they did not fix or inspect the roof, the store “contained an unreasonably hazardous, dangerous, or deceptive condition and defect — namely a building that was not structurally sound and sagging roof.”
Martin is asking for more than $25,000.
A 58-year-old man died in the roof collapse. According to local Fox affiliate KCTV, a property violation report was filed with the Kansas City code enforcement division a mere two days before the fatal incident, saying the building was slowly “tilting.”
Martin’s attorney James Stigall told the Kansas City Star that the incident was avoidable.
“Based on our preliminary investigation, it appears Family Dollar and the property owner knew the building was not structurally safe and presented a serious danger to customers and the general public,” he said in a statement to the newspaper.
The Kansas City Police Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are still investigating the incident.
