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A Florence County jury awarded a woman $10 million after she stepped on a rusty nail at a Walmart which led to her losing most of her right leg.
In 2015, April Jones stepped on the nail in the main aisle of a Beltline Drive store in Florence and suffered a severe foot injury, according to a news release from Jones’ lawyers. It led to an infection, which eventually led to three amputation surgeries. She sued the big box chain in 2017.
Here's a more detailed article. The woman had several toes removed after stepping on a rusty nail, but the infection kept spreading. Her doctor had recommended a partial foot amputation, but the woman refused. Instead she began seeing a foot doctor and had a nurse come into her home to tend to her infection. But the infection spread. She ended up needing her leg amputated above the knee.
Yikes. What a horror! I'll trust the jury on this one. They certainly heard more than we did.
Wonder how much of that she will actually receive.
Likely just a fraction of it - there are more than a few issues here. These damages are more than just economic yet no indication of any real culpability by the store. She also did not mitigate damages by following doctors advice.
10mil is egregious unless she’s younger or it ended her career etc.
Juries often dork up dollar value’s especially if in very poor areas where they like to try cases.
Age and/or potential earnings have nothing to do with punitive damages. They serve as a disincentive to companies like Walmart (with profits exceeding $13,000,000,000 annually). Unfortunately, sometimes the only motivating factor when it comes to public safety is monetary - until a company actually sees a substantial financial hit, it won't take any action.
On the other hand, here we have a woman who has endured multiple amputation surgeries and accompanying hospitalizations. She is now permanently wheel-chair bound. That will likely require extensive modifications to her home, or a new specially-designed home. There will be ongoing expenses (additional wheelchairs, prosthetics, perhaps more surgeries and related costs). Can she drive? Nothing without a special vehicle. Then there will be a long list of things she could ordinarily do, but now must be done for hire. Finally, there's pain and suffering. Obviously monetary compensation cannot replace what has been lost along with her legs. Those costs may be abstract, but that doesn't make them any less real.
And, again, those are all aside from punitive damages.
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