A local woman has filed a lawsuit against Marion Senior Services, saying she sustained “permanent injuries” after she allegedly tripped on an uneven sidewalk at the nonprofit organization’s facility in Ocala.
Attorneys filed the lawsuit on behalf of Jacqueline King in the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court of Marion County on May 9.
According to the complaint, King, who is from Marion County, was visiting Marion Senior Services at 1101 SW 20th Court in Ocala on October 17, 2024.
While she was walking back to her vehicle, King claims that, “suddenly and without warning,” she “tripped over a raised, uneven, and unleveled portion of the sidewalk.”
After tripping over the sidewalk, King claims she fell and sustained “serious injuries and damages,” according to the complaint.
King accuses the nonprofit organization of being neglectful in its duty to “maintain the premises in a reasonably safe condition,” and failing to “warn of any dangerous conditions” that it “should have known about.”
As a result of the alleged negligence, King claims she sustained “bodily injury and resulting pain and suffering, disability, physical impairment, inconvenience, scarring, disfigurement, mental anguish, loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, and expenses of hospitalization, medical, nursing and other health care and treatment, loss of earning, loss of her capacity to earn, and aggravation of a previously existing condition.”
King’s attorneys say their client’s injuries are “permanent” and that King will continue to suffer from her “impairment in the future.”
The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $50,000, plus interest and associated costs.
Marion Senior Services is a nonprofit organization that provides services to the elderly, disabled, and disadvantaged residents of Marion County. The group helps enable individuals to stay in their homes and live independently, providing meal delivery, transportation, and other in-home support services to those in need.
Marion Senior Services’ funding comes from a variety of public, private, and donor contributions. The nonprofit caters to all individuals, regardless of their ability to pay, providing services on a sliding fee basis (i.e., no cost to full pay).
Court records show that a summons was served to the organization in mid-May and that no other items have been recorded on the docket since then.