FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF/Gray News) – A Florence woman who suffered multiple amputations after stepping on a rusty nail at Walmart has been awarded $10 million in damages, her lawyers announced.
According to a press release from the Anastopoulo Law Firm, the incident happened in June 2015 at the Walmart on Beltline Drive in Florence.
April Jones was injured by the nail in the main aisle of the store, resulting in an infection, surgery and three separate amputations, the release stated. Jones has reportedly been wheelchair-bound for six years after losing most of her right leg.
A jury deliberated for less than two hours before returning with the $10 million verdict last week.
“The weakness of Walmart’s case, among other things, was their failure to produce a video that they claim showed their conforming behavior to a company policy calling for employees to perform regular safety sweeps. No such evidence was presented for the duration of the five-day-long trial,” the release stated.
The law firm said that Walmart’s expert testified on cross-examination that the nail was the cause of injury.
The money, her lawyers say, will enable Jones to purchase a prosthetic, make her home more handicap-accessible and cover medical expenses.
Walmart said they have filed post-trial motions in the court. In a statement, the company said, “Walmart works hard to help ensure that all customers have a safe experience shopping in our stores,” and that they believe the verdict wasn’t supported by the evidence.
They also said they didn’t believe that the woman’s injuries were caused by what was alleged in her complaint.
