59 year-old Alabama Army Veteran shatters his hip while shopping for watermelon and jury awards him $7.5 Million

Author: Attorney Jason Macri

A 59 year-old Army Veteran shattered his hip in an Alabama Walmart as he was shopping for watermelon. The watermelon was displayed in a container which was placed on top of a wooden pallet. The man’s foot became caught in the pallet and he fell to the ground, shattering his hip.

The man’s lawyers were forced to file a lawsuit as Walmart argued that there was nothing wrong with the watermelon display and that Walmart was not negligent in any way. A jury disagreed with Walmart’s attorneys and awarded the man 7.5 million dollars. The award was comprised of $2.5 million in compensation and $5 million in punitive damages. It’s clear that the jury felt that not only was Walmart negligent but also that Walmart knew about this potentially dangerous condition prior to the man’s fall but did nothing to correct the danger so that customers like the Army Veteran would not become injured.

Walmart is planning on appealing this jury’s verdict but if the appeals Court does not agree with Walmart’s position, Walmart may be on the hook for the entire verdict. It is also possible that the jury’s award will be reduced in some way but even if the award is cut in half, it will still result in a large multi-million dollar verdict.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Walmart store, call the Law Office of Dell & Schaefer. Our attorneys have decades of experience filing lawsuits against corporate giants like Walmart. We always ensure that our client’s rights are fully protected and pursue every possible form of compensation for our clients.