Webb v. SEP, INC.

752 So. 2d 881, 1999 WL 275605
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 24, 1999
Docket31,946-CA
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 752 So. 2d 881 (Webb v. SEP, INC.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Webb v. SEP, INC., 752 So. 2d 881, 1999 WL 275605 (La. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

752 So.2d 881 (1999)

Rosie Lee WEBB, Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
SEP, INC., d/b/a Save A Lot, Defendant-Appellee.

No. 31,946-CA.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Second Circuit.

May 5, 1999.
Opinion Granting Rehearing September 24, 1999.

*882 James M. Johnson, Pamela Harper, Minden, Counsel for Appellant.

Sharp, Henry, Cerniglia, Colvin & Weaver by James H. Colvin, Jr., Homer, Counsel for Appellee.

Before WILLIAMS, STEWART and KOSTELKA, JJ.

STEWART, J.

Plaintiff, Rosie Lee Webb, appeals a summary judgment dismissing her claim against the defendant, SEP, Inc., d/b/a Save A Lot ("Save-A-Lot"), for damages allegedly sustained when she fell while preparing to exit the premises after shopping. We reverse the trial court's judgment and remand.

FACTS

Rosie Lee Webb ("Ms.Webb"), an 84-year old resident of rural Homer, Louisiana, filed suit against Save-A-Lot and its insurer for damages sustained when she fell in the Save-A-Lot store in Minden, Louisiana. Ms. Webb alleges that she injured her knee, necessitating knee replacement surgery.

The incident at issue occurred on July 9, 1996. Ms. Webb drove to Minden that day to visit her cousin. After leaving her cousin's residence, Ms. Webb drove to the Save-A-Lot store to shop for groceries. When Ms. Webb entered the store, the weather was clear. Although her medical records indicate that Ms. Webb had a history of arthritis in her lower extremities and occasionally used support to ambulate, Ms. Webb stated that she did not have a cane with her the day of the accident. Ms. Webb remained in the Save-A-Lot store for approximately one and one-half to two hours before checking out. While in the checkout line, Ms. Webb noticed that a hard rain was falling and beating against the windows of the store. Ms. Webb recalled that the Save-A-Lot store was busy, that four checkout lines were operating, and that they were all crowded. Ms. Webb was concerned that it was raining in her car because she had left the windows down.

After checking out, packing her groceries, and placing them in her buggy, Ms. Webb stopped at a table in the store on which boxes were kept to get a box to place over her head as a makeshift umbrella. After she grabbed the box, Ms. Webb turned to push the buggy, felt water under her feet, and fell forward onto her right knee and onto the floor, wetting the waistline area of her clothes. Ms. Webb described her fall by stating that she was "fixing to push the buggy" and the "buggy ran out from under" her. Ms. Webb stated that she was about eight to ten feet from the exit when she fell. She recalled that a rug was placed inside the store at the entrance, but that no rug was placed at *883 the exit. She did not see any water on the floor prior to her fall, but noticed water "gushing through" under the electronically controlled doors after her fall.

Marilyn Cooksey and Geri MaGee, both employed by Save-A-Lot as cashiers at the time of Ms. Webb's accident, heard when the accident occurred but did not witness it. Marilyn Cooksey, who had a vague recollection of the incident, recalled hearing a "commotion." She turned, saw Ms. Webb on the floor, and went to her. Although Cooksey was not aware of any water on the floor prior to Ms. Webb's fall, she did see water on the floor when she went to Ms. Webb. She did not notice whether Ms. Webb was wet. Cooksey recalled that it was raining hard and that there were "lots of people" in the checkout line. Cooksey stated that she did not have occasion to look at the floor or the doors while working, and she did not recall the time of the accident, but she thought that it occurred in the evening. Cooksey did not recall seeing any wet floor cones out. She did not know how the water came to be on the floor, but she assumed that it was blown in by the wind and by customers passing through the doors.

Geri MaGee stated in her deposition that she heard a lady holler. When she looked, she saw Ms. Webb on the floor. MaGee did not witness the fall. She went to Ms. Webb and asked if she was hurt. The manager, David Clark, then took charge of the situation. MaGee recalled seeing water on the floor when she went to Ms. Webb's assistance, but she did not recall how much water was there or whether Ms. Webb was wet. MaGee did not see any wet floor cones in place. She recalled one instance in which the wind blew the door open allowing rain to puddle in the store, but she did not recall the date. MaGee also stated that David Clark asked her to complete the accident report. The report states, "Water was coming in through the front door and she went to go out and slipped and fell. Raining real hard and blowing on the ... door." The report further states that Ms. Webb hurt her knee and that she left in an ambulance. The report contains an affirmative response to a question regarding the presence of a foreign substance or wet area on the floor. The report states, "Yes—water blowing in from rain." The time indicated on the report is 4:15 p.m. MaGee stated that this report indicates her opinion of the accident at the time it occurred.

Rickie Gray, a current store manager and a management trainee at the time of the accident, stated that it was raining very hard and that it was stormy on the day of the accident, but that he did not know how long it had been raining before the accident occurred. He explained that a wet floor cone is placed at the store entrance when it is raining to warn customers of the possibility of water blowing through the door and wet floors. Gray stated that he placed a wet floor cone out either early in the morning or when he realized that it was raining and that it was in place prior to Ms. Webb's accident. Gray did not recall the time of the accident, but he believed that it occurred around noon. He stated that he spent most of the morning unloading trucks at the back of the store and stocking groceries and that he was completing this task when the accident occurred. Gray did not witness Ms. Webb's accident, but he was told about it, went to her assistance, and got her a chair. Gray saw water on the floor when he went to Ms. Webb and estimated that it was approximately a cup to a cup and a half in volume. He did not know whether Ms. Webb was wet from her fall, and he stated that he assisted her to a car when she left. Gray explained that managers are required to inspect the store every fifteen to thirty minutes and that he had inspected the front of the store approximately fifteen to thirty minutes prior to accident and found no water present on the floor. He did note that it was raining at the time of his inspection. When asked if he was aware of how the water *884 came to be on the floor, the following exchange took place:

A. Yeah. It was very stormy that day. And I've seen, you know, the door blow open from wind because I been checking it in the last check and I've seen it blow open and water come in on the floor.
Q. And that's how it happened that day?
A. Yes, sir.

Gray explained that there was no mat at the exit door because it seldom happens that a storm is severe enough to blow open the electronically controlled door.

David Clark, a manager at the time of Ms. Webb's accident, stated that he was in the back of the store when the accident occurred. He was called to the front of the store by Marilyn Cooksey, who told him that a lady fell by the door. When Clark got to the front of the store, he saw Ms. Webb on her hands and knees trying to get up with the assistance of some gentlemen.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
752 So. 2d 881, 1999 WL 275605, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/webb-v-sep-inc-lactapp-1999.