A man is suing after a fall in Columbia last year.

Jimmy Watkins, listed in court documents as the plaintiff, filed suit Dec. 7 in Monroe County Circuit Court against Columbia Centre Market Place, Inc., owned by local developer Joe Koppeis.

According to court documents, Watkins alleges on Jan. 12, 2021, he suffered   unspecified “severe injuries” to his “head, face, neck and other diverse parts of his body” sustained in a fall outside of Clarkson Eyecare, located at 1025 Columbia Centre Drive. 

The suit claims negligence against the property owners regarding a “single-riser step” on the premise. 

The filing alleges the height of the step and lack of a handrail or visual cue for pedestrians constitutes negligence against the property manager. 

Watkins is seeking medical costs and damages in excess of $50,000. 

A separate suit against Columbia Centre Market Place, Inc., was filed last month, in which a woman sued for damages following a February 2021 incident in which she suffered a broken femur due to alleged negligence in clearing snow and ice from Dollar Tree, located next to Clarkson at 1100 Columbia Centre Drive.