A recent court filing alleges that a woman suffered serious injuries after slipping and falling at a gas station operated by a major corporation. The complaint was filed by Nora Mena Guerrero in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, on June 10, 2024, against Shell Harjas Inc. and Shell USA, Inc.
According to the complaint, Guerrero was lawfully on the defendants' property located at 490 Tres Pinos Road in Hollister, California, on August 26, 2023. While walking in a normal and foreseeable manner as a paying customer, she slipped on a wet floor and sustained severe injuries. The plaintiff claims that the defendants failed to maintain safe conditions on their premises and did not provide adequate warnings about the hazardous state of the floor.
The lawsuit states that Shell Harjas Inc., a California corporation with its principal address in Gilroy, and Shell USA Inc., a Delaware corporation based in Houston, Texas, were responsible for ensuring the safety of their premises. Guerrero's attorneys argue that both companies knew or should have known about the dangerous condition but neglected to take appropriate measures to rectify it or warn customers. "Defendants failed to keep the floor dry," reads one part of the complaint. "At all relevant times, Defendants failed to warn Plaintiff of the floor’s condition and failed to otherwise make the condition safe."
Guerrero is seeking general damages for her pain and suffering as well as compensation for medical expenses incurred due to her injuries. She also requests future medical expenses, loss of income due to her inability to work following the incident, and other incidental costs related to her fall. The plaintiff asserts that these damages are directly attributable to the negligence of Shell Harjas Inc., Shell USA Inc., and unnamed defendants referred to as DOES 1 through 100.
The case has been assigned Case No.: 24CV440823 and will be presided over by judges from the Superior Court of California in Santa Clara County. Representing Guerrero are attorneys Thanos Simoudis and David F. Merabi from Culver Legal LLP.