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Date: 06-13-2024
Case Style:
Case Number: 02CV234541
Judge: Peggy Stevens McGraw
Court: Jackson County, Missouri
Plaintiff's Attorney:
Defendant's Attorney: Thomas F. Fisher
Description: Kansas City, Missouri personal injury lawyers represented the Plaintiff who sued the Defendants on strict products liability, breach of warranty and negligence theories.
Melanie Monroe claimed that a clamp intended for temporary use was left on the power line for too long, which caused the clamp to fail. Monroe, her husband and their two children sued Kansas City Power & Light, its parent company and the clamp manufacturer on theories of strict products liability, breach of warranty and negligence.
Plaintiff was severely injured in a powerline fell on her. She had to have an arm and leg amputated.
"KCP&L contended the line fell because the connection had been weakened by an ice storm that hit the Kansas City area shortly before the incident.
Due to a massive ice storm in late January 2002, the Monroe family lost power in their home in Kansas City. Consequently, 35-year-old Melanie Monroe, her husband, Paul, and their two children — 10-year-old Shelby and 3-year-old Evan — had been visiting Melanie’s sister, who lived nearby.
As they prepared to leave the sister’s house on the night of Feb. 2, the Monroes were getting into their car parked at the curb. Paul Monroe loaded the laundry basket he was carrying and got into the car with Shelby while Melanie finished strapping Evan into his car seat.
Suddenly, before Melanie could open the passenger side door and climb into the car, a live power line snapped and fell from a KCP&L utility pole approximately 45 feet away. The line directly hit the car and Melanie, who suffered third-degree burns over most of her body. The burns to her right leg and right arm were so extensive that her leg and arm required amputation.
Melanie spent seven months in the Burn Unit at Kansas University Medical Center, where she underwent numerous surgeries and skin grafts.
Paul Monroe and the two children also suffered electrical burns during the incident. They required emergency care and minor medical treatment, but were not seriously injured."
Outcome: Settled for $12 million.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: