Woman sues Family Dollar after partial building collapse in KC left her injured
A woman who was injured in the fatal partial collapse of a Kansas City Family Dollar location sued the company after she was left with serious injuries, according to court documents.
Tammy Martin filed the lawsuit Friday, claiming the store and the property owner were negligent and that their failure to properly maintain the building led to her injuries.
A Family Dollar store location in the 3700 block of Broadway Boulevard partially collapsed in the early afternoon of July 27, killing one man and injuring others.
Neighbors who lived in the area had been wary about the building’s deteriorating state. One woman told The Star she feared the building was unsafe for some time before the collapse.
The building had been missing a concrete pillar that was destroyed when a car crashed into the building in 2016. Since the crash, pictures of the building over the years show it had not been replaced.
City records don’t show any construction permits or plans filed at the business’s address following the crash, The Star previously reported.
According to her lawsuit filed this week, Martin was a customer at the store July 27 when part of the roof collapsed and fell directly on top of her.
The heavy debris caused severe and permanent damage to her body, the lawsuit claims. Martin is seeking damages exceeding $25,000 for health care expenses, loss of enjoyment of life, permanent disability, pain and suffering.
The suit names Family Dollar Stores of Missouri LLC; the parent company, Family Dollar Inc; and the property owner, Arthur Fels Company, as defendants.
Martin’s suit claims the defendants failed to use reasonable care to make the store safe for customers. The store and property owner failed to prevent foreseeable injuries or death to customers, and failed to warn the general public that the store was hazardous, the suit alleges.
The suit also claims the property owner and Family Dollar failed to properly inspect the building or repair its structural integrity. The suit argues the store should have been closed to the public due to the building’s defects.
“By using ordinary care, defendants knew, or could have known, that the store was not reasonably safe, and that it could cause serious bodily harm to invitees, including (Martin) and the general public,” the lawsuit alleges.
Mitchell’s attorney James Stigall said in a statement that Mitchell is a kind and innocent person who was catastrophically injured when Family Dollar collapsed.
“Based on our preliminary investigation, it appears Family Dollar and the property owner knew the building was not structurally safe and presented a serious danger to customers and the general public,” Stigall said.
Stigall argues the tragedy could have been avoided.
“Our hearts go out to the individual that was killed and the others injured,” Stigall said.
Martin and her attorneys are demanding a jury trial on all civil allegations. As of Saturday, no hearings had been scheduled in the case.
Previous reporting by The Star’s Eric Adler and Noelle Alviz-Gransee contributed to this story.
This story was originally published August 2, 2025 at 10:35 AM.
