MARSHALL - A truck stop is being sued by a customer who tripped in the parking lot over a valve cover that was allegedly installed below the surface of the concrete.
Randy Matt Richardson filed suit against Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores Inc., doing business as Love’s Travel Stops, on Oct. 23 in the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division.
The incident occurred on Aug. 11 as Richardson was shopping at the Love’s facility near Mount Vernon. While walking through the parking lot of the 18-wheeler fuel island, he tripped/stumbled due to a valve cover installed below the surface of the concrete parking lot. Richardson states he fell and suffered an injury to his back, neck, spine and body.
The defendant is accused of premise liability and negligence for failing to inspect the premises to discover latent defects and to make safe any defects or give an adequate warning of defects, and for failing to warn of or correct the danger which was a violation of defendant’s duty and constituted negligence.
The plaintiff is asking for an award of economic, non-economic, and compensatory damages for pain and suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement, physical impairment, punitive damages, interest and court costs.
Richardson is represented by N. Eric Cooper of The Cooper Law Firm in Longview and Ralph F. Pelaia Jr. of Pelaia Law Center in Longview. A jury trial is requested.
U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap is assigned to the case.
Case No. 2:12-cv-00678
Truck stop sued after customer trips in parking lot
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