An Alabama jury recently agreed that Dollar General was responsible for serious injuries a customer suffered—and awarded $1.725 million in damages to the injured customer in a verdict commentators are calling one of the largest such verdicts in the country, according to a recent article from AL.com.
The customer, a 60-year-old woman, suffered serious leg and shoulder injuries in a 2012 accident in which she slipped and fell in a puddle of clear liquid laundry detergent that had been spilled in an aisle in a Dollar General store in Mobile, Alabama. Her injuries required eight surgeries and cost her and her family over $470,000 in medical bills, and she is permanently disabled as a result of the accident.
During the case, evidence was presented to show that while Dollar General stores are generally open for up to 14 hours a day, only 10 minutes of each day is required for safety inspections—which is not enough time for employees to notice or correct many of the spills or other potentially dangerous conditions that might occur during an ordinary work day. Other managers and professionals from similar retail stores also testified, establishing that the informal policy was unsafe and inadequate.
In April, a Dollar General store in Lauderdale County was required to pay $925,000 to an injured delivery driver. Alabama premises liability law imposes a duty on shop owner to keep the premises “reasonably safe” for customers. This includes staying aware of potentially dangerous conditions and addressing them promptly once they are identified—for instance, by cleaning up spills or by warning customers to avoid a dangerous area with items like signs, ropes, or verbal instructions.
If you’ve been injured in Alabama, don’t wait: contact an experienced Alabama personal injury lawyer who can help you fight for the compensation you deserve.