Woman sues Super 7 over staircase collapse [Richmond Register, Ky.]

May 20--RICHMOND -- One of the women injured in a staircase collapse last month at a local motel is suing the business in Madison Circuit Court.

Amanda Williams filed the suit May 15, alleging the owners and operators of the Super 7 motel, Richmond Host LLC and Alisha LLC, were negligent in maintaining the property, specifically the "unstable stairwell."

Williams also is suing Paul Patell, who is listed in the suit as the motel's local manager .

On April 23, two women were injured when a set of exterior stairs collapsed. A stairway connecting a second-floor landing to a third-floor landing broke away at the lower end while the women were on it, according to Richmond Fire Chief Buzzy Campbell.

Williams and another woman were taken by ambulance to Baptist Health in Richmond, and one of the women later was taken to the University of Kentucky Medical Center, according to a Madison County EMS official.

Williams states in her suit that the defendants were negligent by "specifically allowing or creating a hazardous condition in the stairwell of the premises by failing to ensure that the steps were safe for use ..."

She also alleges the owners and manager should have known about the unstable stairwell.

Williams said she suffered "serious and severe personal injuries" to her spinal cord and legs. She will need prolonged medical attention and may require surgery, according to the lawsuit.

Williams is suing to recover the costs of her medical care, pain and suffering, mental distress, future medical expenses and lost wages.

Defendants typically have 30 days to respond to a civil suit's initial complaint.

Williams is represented by attorneys Jimmy Dale Williams and Randy O'Neal. Judge William G. Clouse is presiding over the case.

Injury suit filed against raceway for May 2012 incident

A Madison County couple has filed suit against Richmond Raceway over medical costs related to a May 2012 incident in which two people were injured by flying debris.

Misty and William Saylor filed the suit May 17 in Madison Circuit Court. The defendants are Richmond Raceway, Mayhem Motorsports, track liability insurer T.H.E. Insurance Company, owner Robert Reed and racetrack managers Joey and Tiffany Tackett.

However, Richmond Raceway did not file its 2012 annual report with the state, and the Kentucky secretary of state administratively dissolved the limited liability company, according to the lawsuit and the state's online business filings database.

The dirt track is still conducting races Saturday evenings at 228 Greens Crossing Road, according to the Richmond Raceway website.

William Saylor was injured May 26, 2012, at the racetrack, and he alleges the owner and operators failed in their "duty to maintain the premises in a reasonably safe condition."

William Saylor sustained "serious personal injuries which required medical attention," the suit states.

The Saylors are seeking compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, mental distress, and future medical costs and pain and suffering. The Saylors also maintain the couple "lost consortium" because of the accident.

T.H.E. Insurance Company negotiated with the Saylors on the settlement. However, after coming to an agreement on the sum, the insurance company "thereafter attempted to change the settlement terms and now refuses to pay the amount for which (William Saylor) agreed to settle his liability claim."

The Saylors say T.H.E Insurance Co. offered William Saylor a settlement of $5,000, but there was no offer for Misty Saylor's claims. An unsigned document outlining the settlement from the insurance company was attached to the lawsuit file.

The Saylors are represented by Jimmy Dale Williams, and the case has been assigned to Judge William G. Close.

Another lawsuit filed against the raceway last year is still working its way through the courts. Harold Cunagin, of Tyner, alleged that on July 16, 2011, he was hit in the face by flying debris while visiting the track.

The same night Cunagin claims he was injured, a Frankfort man crashed during a race and later died at the University of Kentucky Medical Center.

Billy Carroll Wooldridge's car inexplicably accelerated, jumped a barrier, traveled across the in-field and re-entered the dirt track via an exit ramp before spinning around and coming to a rest, track promoter Joey Tackett told the Register in 2011.

There was speculation at the time that Wooldridge had suffered a heart attack. The lawsuit does not state whether the accident was related to Cunagin's injuries.

Cunagin is asking the court to order the raceway to pay for his past and future medical bills and also award him compensation for his pain, suffering and inconvenience, according to the complaint.

The raceway defendants have filed a response to Cunagin's complaint, and one of the defenses is that Cunagin's injuries were "caused whole or in part by his own negligence."

Richmond Raceway is a 0.3 mile oval clay track that schedules races almost every weekend from late March to late September, according to its website. The track has a seating capacity of 2,500 and had its first event in 1966.

Sarah Hogsed can be reached at shogsed@richmondregister.com or 624-6694.

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