A 59-year-old man who tripped and broke his hip while selecting a watermelon at Wal-Mart was awarded $7.5 million by an Alabama jury.
The lawsuit stems from an incident in June 2015, when Henry Walker visited the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer's store in Phenix City, Ala. He pulled a watermelon from a bin in the produce department, and his foot got stuck in the pallet under the bin.
He turned, fell and shattered his hip, according to court documents. He sued Wal-Mart for “negligence” and “wantonness,” and his attorneys argued Wal-Mart should have known the pallet could cause injury.
Wal-Mart said the display was not dangerous, and plans to appeal the verdict.
According to an article in the Washington Post, Jurors saw security footage from the store that showed “Walker wasn't the only person to get his foot stuck in the side openings of a wooden pallet on the floor.”
What's your policy on sales floor bins and pallets?