'Scalping' incident leads to personal injury claim against Lowes Home Centers

A Bucks County man who claims he was “scalped” after a heavy steel door fell on top of his head at a local Lowes retailer has sued the home improvement store in state court.

Glen McCraw, of Bensalem, Pa., and his wife, Sharon, are suing Lowes Home Centers Inc. for injuries the husband alleged received back on Oct. 18, 2010, after a steel door that was suspended 10 feet above the plaintiffs fell from an overhead display and onto Glen McCraw as his wife looked on in horror.

The alleged incident occurred at the Lowes store at 3800 Aramingo Avenue in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond neighborhood.

The lawsuit, which was filed May 25 at Philadelphia’s Common Pleas Court by Pennsauken, N.J. attorneys John T. Dooley, William J. Coppol and Sean M. McMonagle, accuses the defendant of negligence for failing to provide the plaintiffs with a safe place to shop, failing to adequately inspect the premises for hazardous conditions, failing to close the isle while employees worked overtop of customers, failing to inspect the hanging doors, failing to properly train and supervise employees and failing to warn the plaintiffs of the dangerous conditions that existed at the store.

The complaint says that Glen McCraw had to be transported to a hospital emergency room where he underwent treatment for his injuries, which included a scalping injury with severe lacerations extending from his forehead onto his hairline and extending into the posterior aspect of his scalp.

The incident resulted in McCraw experiencing what the lawsuit claims was “massive” soft-tissue loss, with lacerations that measured 18 inches.

Doctors needed to close the wounds using 100 stiches, the lawsuit states, and McCraw ended up experiencing post-concussion syndrome, he had numbness and balance problems, and he was required to undergo physical and speech therapies.

Glen McCraw also experienced memory problems, he was treated for anxiety, depression and other psychological injuries, he was referred for a neuropsychological evaluation, and he has experienced a loss of earnings and earning capacity, not to mention his suffering from agonizing aches, pains and mental anguish, the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit also contains a count of negligent infliction of emotional distress in which Sharon McCraw claims she suffered “shock, trauma and emotional distress” after having to assist her husband immediately following the accident so he wouldn’t drown and choke on his own blood.

“She began to scream at the top of his [sic] lungs for help and was convinced that her husband was going to die in her arms,” the suit states. “His head was ripped open, blood was pouring down his face and into his mouth. He was choking and spitting blood out of his mouth.”

The complaint says that the incident caused Sharon McCraw to experience sleeplessness, headaches, flashbacks, intrusive memories, nightmares, disorientation, memory loss, loss of appetite, extreme sadness, loss of time with family and friends, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal tendencies.

The lawsuit also contains a loss of consortium count that claims the incident deprived Sharon McCraw of her husband’s companionship.

For each of the counts listed, the plaintiffs seek $50,000 in compensatory and delay damages.

 

The case ID number is 120503091.