Posted on 11/09/2017 11:00:13 AM PST by simpson96
He was buying a watermelon at Walmart when he fell. Now a jury in Alabama has awarded him more than $7 million.
Henry Walker, a retired Army sergeant, got his foot caught in a wooden pallet as he was getting the watermelon at the Walmart store in Phenix City in July 2015, the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reported.
Walker fell and broke his foot and hip. The jury awarded him $2.5 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.
“It was a fair verdict because Walmart just didn’t care,” said Charlie Gower, the lead attorney for Walker. “They should have had something to cover up that pallet so someone’s foot couldn’t get caught in it, and they didn’t.”
(Excerpt) Read more at kansas.com ...
I seem to recall a scene from the TV show “Parks and Rec”:
“I made my money the old fashioned way — I got run over by a Lexus!!”
“Yeah, man, I still can’t believe you got all that money; you were barely hurt.”
“Do you want to get run over? Because I know a guy ...”
What kind of “Army sargeant” gets his foot caught while grabbing a watermelon?
Walmart has those electric riding carts ,he should use them
The whole “Trial by jury of your peers” was built on the concept of “peers” being reasonable, educated, moral people. I wonder what this jury was made of?
Walmart has those electric riding carts ,he should use them
= = =
with a trailer to haul his watermelons.
I know someone who got a similar settlement for doing almost the exact thing on a loading dock. She was laid up for 6 months.
Wasn’t 7 million but it was 7 figures.
L
And people wonder why the cost of so many things is so high.
And why storefronts are having a hard time competing with Amazon.
Can’t break your hip on the edge of a palette there.
7,000,000 is seven digits.
Just sayin’
Does this set a precedent for being able to sue the V.A.? -- just askin'
Time to ban wooden pallets.
Wooden pallets are dangerous.
Gun stocks are made from wood.
There wood pallets are part of the dangerous gun conspiracy.
Walmart has those electric riding carts ,he should use them
**************
How would that have preventing him from his injury?
$7,500,000? Wally will pay this from petty cash. Or, rather, their insurance company will.
Most of these types of cases get overturned on appeal but it is still crazy a jury would do such a stupid thing!!!
And his attorney got 1/3.
Did he have some other pre-existing condition that would make the severity of the accident more likely?
Too break one’s pelvis from tripping and falling straight down implies the person had osteoporosis or weakened bones to begin with. Was he on some sort of steroid?
An award or settlement was proper, but this size seems excessive. $5. ‘punitive’? Why must they be punished?
Does he think it was done deliberately?
We all pay for it in the long run...
I wish they’d ban the whole concept of “punitive damages”. It strikes me as ex post facto.
truth
Probably the type that call spell "sergeant".
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.