Lowe's customer claims cabinet fell on top of him

A New Orleans man blames a home improvement store for injuries he allegedly suffered when a kitchen cabinet fell on him.

John Arnold filed a lawsuit against Lowe's Home Centers Inc. on Oct. 20 in Orleans Parish District Court.

Arnold says he and three of his employees went to the Lowe's on Elysian Fields Avenue in November 2009 to buy a kitchen cabinet. Arnold says he found the one he wanted, but it was stacked too high and was too large to take down from the shelf himself.

Arnold claims he asked for assistance from a Lowe's clerk but was told the cabinet wasn't in that employee's department. Arnold alleges he waited more than 20 minutes for help and, when none arrived, asked another worker from the Lowe's plumbing department for assistance.

The lawsuit states another 10 minutes went by without any help from a Lowe's employee. So Arnold says he tried to take the cabinet down with the help of one of the men who was shopping in the store with him.

Arnold says the two were attempting to take the cabinet off the shelf when it tipped forward, causing Arnold to lose his balance and fall to the floor. He says he was hurt in the fall.

Arnold accuses Lowe's of negligence and is asking for an unspecified amount of money to cover the cost of medical expenses, lost wages and court fees.

Arnold is represented by attorneys Marcus J. Poulliard and Dominick F. Impastato III of New Orleans.

Orleans Parish District Court Case No. 10-10764