PITTSBURGH – A Western Pennsylvania couple have sued Amazon and the manufacturer of a ladder they claim was defective, after the wife-plaintiff fell from the ladder while conducting an insurance estimate at a home in Erie.
Amber Green and Eric Green of Harrison City filed suit in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas on Jan. 3 versus Amazon.com, Inc. (and a number of related Amazon defendants) of Seattle, Wash., Handvoll of Garden Grove, Calif, and John Doe No. 1.
According to the suit, plaintiff Amber Green purchased a 17.5 foot Handvoll Telescoping Ladder from defendant Amazon’s website, which was delivered to her home.
“On March 5, 2020, Mrs. Green was conducting such an insurance estimate at a home located at 342 Glenridge Road, Erie, Pennsylvania, 16509. The insurance estimate required Mrs. Green to get onto the roof of the home, Mrs. Green used the ladder to access the roof. As she was attempting to come down from the roof via the ladder, it suddenly and unexpectedly collapsed, causing Mrs. Green to fall approximately 10 feet to the ground. Mrs. Green landed her back on top of the ladder,” the suit says.
“As a direct and proximate result of the above-described incident, Mrs. Green sustained the following injuries: Left radial head fracture; fracture of T-11 and T-12 vertebrae, severe left elbow pain, severe back pain, left wrist and hand pain, bruises and contusions, numbness and tingling in her bilateral extremities, decreased range of motion in her left elbow, scarring and disfigurement, nervousness, confusion, emotional tension, anxiety and severe, persistent and ongoing chronic pain.”
The suit claims that Amazon knew or should have known of the ladder’s defective condition, and yet did not remove it from retail sale.
For multiple counts of negligence, strict liability and loss of consortium, the plaintiffs are seeking, jointly and severally, damages in excess of the arbitration limits of Allegheny County.
The plaintiffs are represented by Athena M. Dufour-Mason and Paul R. Robinson of Meyer Darragh Buckler Bebenek & Eck, in Pittsburgh.
The defendants have not yet secured legal counsel.
Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas case GD-22-002436
From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nick.malfitano@therecordinc.com