HOUSTON — The family of a woman who was struck by an automatic door at a Dillard's Department Store and suffered a fractured hip is claiming the store's negligence.
Patrick Hensley and Burl Hensley, as heirs in law to Anna Shirlene Hensley, deceased filed a complaint Oct. 4 in Harris County District Court against Dillards Inc., doing business as Dillard Texas East LLC and Dillard Texas Four-Point LLC and Door Services Corporation doing business as Houston Automatic Door Corporation alleging negligence.
According to the plaintiffs' complaint, Shirlene Hensley was shopping at the Dillard's Department Store in Baybrook Mall in Friendswood on March 4, 2020. They claim as Hensley exited the store, the automatic door closed on her and knocked her to the ground.
The plaintiffs further claim while waiting for the paramedics to arrive, a Dillard's employee was also struck and pushed down by the defective automatic door. They allege as a result of being struck by the door, Hensley suffered a fracture hip and began to experience a rapid decline in her health and died on Dec. 19, 2020.
The plaintiffs claim Dillard's negligence for failing to monitor the condition of the automatic door, failing to mark off the area as hazardous or dangerous and failing to repair the hazard.
The plaintiffs seek monetary relief between $250,000 and $1 million, interest, trial by jury and all other just relief. They are represented by Sydney Meriwether Womack of The Womack Law Office PLLC in Houston.
Harris County District Court case number 2021-64391