Karla Wright wanted some cream cheese.
She was bent over reaching in the cooler of a Kroger in Ellenwood a few years ago when she noticed something.
She looked up to see tubes of biscuits coming toward her face.
Now, she wants justice.
Wright filed a lawsuit in Cobb County, where Kroger has a Marietta headquarters, last month to recuperate about $6,310 in medical bills along with $10,000 for future medical treatments and $25,000 for her pain and suffering.
The lawsuit claims Kroger is also liable for $1 million in punitive damages, which are meant to punish a defendant.
The alleged incident happened Sept. 1, 2013, at the 101 Fairview Road location of the supermarket chain.
The suit claims Kroger’s “improper stocking” and carelessness are what led to Wright’s injuries.
“Because this matter is pending litigation, Kroger can not comment on details related to the case,” Glynn Jenkins, a Kroger spokesman, said in an email last week.
Wright alleges she was diagnosed with a scratched cornea and suffers from headaches, muscle spasms in her face, along with neck pain.
Her Mableton attorney Rory Starkey told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution his client isn’t blind but “has occasional problems with her eyes in term of irritation.”
Wright initially filed suit against Kroger in July 2015 but withdrew the case a year later to give her attorneys more time to figure out the facts.
“It’s an inexpensive way to be able to gain more time to get more information to better prove your case,” Starkey said Monday.
According to the suit, when Wright woke up the morning after the incident, “her eyelids were shut together.” That prompted a trip to the Piedmont Henry Hospital emergency room where supposedly doctors diagnosed the scratched cornea.
Starkey said Kroger has responded to the lawsuit, and now begins the multi-month discovery process of fleshing out the evidence.
