Woman Who Fell On Sticky Foul Line Sues Wheaton Bowling Alley: LAWSUIT

A Downers Grove woman claims that a sticky foul line at a Wheaton bowling alley caused her to fall down and her fracture her shin while bowling in September 2012.

Karen Borman is suing Fox Bowl Inc., 1101 Butterfield Road, for damages, alleging that the bowling center was negligent in conducting regular inspections, cleaning and maintenance of the lanes.

According to the lawsuit, Borman, her husband, daughter and daughter’s boyfriend had a Groupon coupon for an hour of free bowling and shoe rental for four when they visited Fox Bowl on Sept. 24, 2012.

The plaintiff and her group were assigned a lane and instructed to wait until the group before them finished their game. When it was their turn, Borman proceeded with her first approach to roll the bowling ball down the lane.

While doing so, her left foot became caught or stuck near the foul line, causing her to pitch forward and land on her knees. As she was on the ground, she looked at the floor and noticed a foreign substance and discoloration in the foul line area, the lawsuit alleges.

After her husband informed staff of his wife’s fall, a Fox Bowl employee removed the substance with a cleaning solution.

The employee also advised Borman that bowling center’s rental shoes “would sometimes get sticky” and she should exchange the shoes. Borman complied and exchanged the rental shoes for another pair.

As a result of the fall, Borman sustained an “acute fracture of the tibia” underneath her left knee cap.

The lawsuit alleges that Fox Bowl was negligent in not cleaning the floor after the party before Borman’s group had finished bowling, creating an unreasonably dangerous condition. The bowling center also failed to instruct staff to clean the floors, and follow or have written policies in place for maintenance, cleaning and inspection.

Fox Bowl also allegedly kept a Zamboni-type machine to clean and maintain the floors, which it failed to make use of.

Borman is suing for monetary damages to be determined by the judge and the costs of the lawsuit.

She is being represented by Nathan I. Neff of the Neff Law Group P.C. in Chicago.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in DuPage County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt and it only represents one side of the story.

This story has been updated.