Woman sues employer’s next door neighbor due to fall in parking lot

GRETNA – An employee of a local auto parts store is suing the owner of the property next to her employer’s landlord after she allegedly was injured in a fall while transporting an order to a customer’s car.

Catherine Castine filed suit against Ronal K. Murray in the 24th Judicial District Court on Sept. 17.

Castine asserts that she was working at the NAPA Auto Parts store located at 1501 Lafayette St. in Gretna on June 19, 2013 when she was navigating a hand dolly stacked with car batteries and break rotors to a car parked at a property nearby owned by Murray. The plaintiff claims that the parking lot at the defendant’s property was in disrepair with broken and scattered concrete throughout and other defects causing her to lose control of the hand truck and fall backwards onto the pavement. Castine alleges that she received severe injuries to her neck, arm, wrist, shoulder and body in the incident.

The defendant is accused of failing to take note of the property’s perilous condition, causing and permitting an unreasonably dangerous condition, failing to correct an unreasonably dangerous condition, failing to warn employees and patrons of an unreasonably dangerous condition, failing to implement and properly execute regular parking lot inspections, failing to perform routine lot maintenance, failing to timely remove parking lot debris and failing to properly mark hazardous areas.

An unspecified amount in damages is sought for personal injury, pain, suffering, grief, mental anguish, embarrassment, humiliation, medical expenses, lot wages, loss of future earning capacity and loss of enjoyment of life.

Castine is represented by Alistair A. Atkinson of New Orleans-based A.A. Atkinson Attorney LLC.

The case has been assigned to Division G Judge Robert A. Pitre Jr.

Case no. 742-487.