Church Sued By Member Who Slipped On Ice On Sidewalk

A woman has filed a personal injury suit against a church, claiming that she fell on frozen water outside the church and suffered injuries that will require her to undergo surgery.

According to the suit New Life in Christ Church member Vernetta Clayton filed against the church on May 7 in Illinois’ St. Clair County Circuit Court, she was walking on the sidewalk that leads to the entrance of the church on January 28 when she slipped on some ice, causing her to fall.

The suit claims that for a “long period” prior to the fall, the church maintained a bed of shrubbery adjacent to the sidewalk that was located on a downward slope angled toward the sidewalk, which allowed moisture to run onto the sidewalk and accumulate there. Then, due to the weather conditions, the water froze.

Clayton claims the fall caused her to suffer bruises, contusions, and abrasions to her body, hyper-extended fingers on her right hand, a wrenched, strained, and sprained right knee and a torn meniscus on her right knee. She also claims that the will incur medical expenses for the surgical procedure she will have to undergo on her right knee and her capacity to work, labor, earn wages, and enjoy life has been diminished. She also claims lost wages.

The suit alleges negligence on the part of the church for allowing the water to accumulate on the sidewalk, failure to remove the ice from the sidewalk, failure to provide salts for melting the ice, failure to warn, and failure to rope off the side walk.

Clayton seeks damages of more than $50,000.