ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, October 31, 1996 TAG: 9610310034
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
ELIZABETH PAMPLIN suffered a blow to the head two years ago while visiting the attraction. Now she's suing.
The ghosts, graveyard and guillotine that inhabit the Haunted Cave this time of year are, of course, fake.
But don't tell that to Elizabeth Pamplin, who has filed a $50,000 lawsuit against the Roanoke County Halloween attraction - claiming that she suffered "serious injuries" when a fake ax struck her in the head two years ago.
Dixie Caverns and Pottery Inc., which converts its natural cavern into a Haunted Cave this time every year, was accused of negligence in a lawsuit Pamplin filed last week in Roanoke Circuit Court.
Pamplin, who visited the attraction with friends on Oct. 27, 1994, apparently was struck by a plastic ax that was supposed to swing down after visitors passed by, said her attorney, John Edwards of Roanoke.
"It wasn't intended to be dangerous," Edwards said. "I suspect it malfunctioned. Exactly what happened isn't real clear right now.
"But she clearly got hit in the head."
The lawsuit, filed shortly before a two-year statute of limitations expired, claimed that Pamplin, 24, suffered "serious and painful personal injuries mental distress and emotional anguish and other damages."
The injury did not break the skin of Pamplin's forehead, Edwards said, but she suffered bruises and migraine headaches as a result. Pamplin could not be reached for comment.
Connie Hausman, owner of Dixie Caverns, acknowledged that Pamplin suffered some sort of injury two years ago, although she is not sure exactly how.
"The cave is a safe place," Hausman said. "But it was Halloween, and some things happen that we don't have total control over."
LENGTH: Short : 40 linesby CNB