ST. LOUIS -- Charity Shonk filed a federal complaint on November 2 in the Eastern District of Missouri against the United States National Park Service for negligence.
According to the complaint, Shonk was departing the Gateway Arch grounds following a fireworks show on July 4, 2019. As Shonk was walking, her foot became lodged beneath an unmarked concrete slab covering an electric panel in the ground, she says.
The slab was black in color and completely unmarked with no signs, barricades, fencing, or other warnings to alert fairgoers to the danger posed, the suit says. Shonk alleges that her momentum carried her body forward, causing her to suffer a gruesome ankle injury.
Shonk was taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital, where her ankle was put in a splint, the suit says. Subsequent x-rays and evaluation revealed Shonk had suffered a fracture of the distal fibula and medial malleolus and surgery was performed the following day on July 5, 2019, the suit says.
The suit says Shonk's injury was so severe that she required multiple cortical screws and a plate to rebuild her joint. Shonk alleges that due to her injury, she is unable to resume a full work week, a situation affecting both her present earning capacity and future wages and benefits.
Shonk seeks damages including medical expenses, lost wages, future medical costs, future lost income, pain and suffering and any further relief. Shonk is represented by Jamie L. Boyer of The Bruning Law Firm, LLC.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Missouri case number 4:21-cv-01312