Port Lucie Man Awarded $1.3 Million in Slip-and-Fall Case against Wal-Mart
The legal team at Farah & Farah in Florida has learned that a St. Lucie County jury recently awarded a Port St. Lucie man nearly $1.3 million in a “slip-and-fall” lawsuit against Wal-Mart.
According to the Palm Beach Post, the 41-year-old man was shopping at a Port St. Lucie Wal-Mart on May 15, 2011 when he slipped on a Gatorade sign that had fallen from a display. The impact of the fall tore the bicep tendon in his right arm.
Since the fall, the man has had three major surgeries and has accumulated more than $200,000 in medical bills. He has also been left with a lifelong condition called a “popeye deformity” — a condition where the bicep bulges abnormally. He has been unable to return to work, and according to his attorney, is depressed and anxious about his future and health.
Wal-Mart contended that they were not liable for the slip-and-fall accident because there was not enough time between the sign falling and the man slipping on it for employees to have removed it in time. The sign in question was discarded after the fall, but Wal-Mart claimed they had set up the display properly. Wal-Mart blamed the plastic screws provided with the display for being too flimsy to properly hold the sign in place.
The jury didn’t agree with Wal-Mart’s contention and after a four-hour deliberation they found the retail giant 90 percent at fault for the injury accident. They awarded the plaintiff $1,287,144, taking into account his existing and future medical bills, as well as his lost wages, when assessing the amount.
Have you been injured in a slip-and-fall accident due to the negligence of a property owner or institution? If you believe you have a case, the St. Lucie County slip-and-fall injury lawyers of Farah & Farah offers a free consultation to discuss your legal rights and options. It’s easy: just call (800) 533-3555 or contact us online. We can help.
