On Friday, July 14, 2017, a Nueces County jury rendered a $43,600,00.00 verdict in favor of our client, Adelaide Price, in her case against Walmart. John Ramsey of Ramsey Law Group and David Bright and Craig M. Sico of Sico, Hoelscher, Harris & Braugh, L.L.P. in Corpus Christi represented Ms. Price.
Factual Summary
On January 27, 2014, Adelaide Price was seriously and permanently injured when she was struck by a truck while exiting a Walmart in Corpus Christi, Texas. At this particular intersection, there were no stop signs or painted “stop” markings at the end of the row leading up to the store.
Ms. Price suffered numerous orthopedic fractures to her face, shoulder, hip, arm, hands, legs and feet. Two of her extremities were “de-gloved” where the skin is torn away from the body. Her facial fractures resulted in reconstructive facial surgery and the re-attachment of her jaw to her facial bones. She was hospitalized, underwent numerous surgeries, and subsequently endured months of painful rehabilitation and physical therapy.
Four months before Ms. Price’s incident, a nearly identical collision occurred between a motor vehicle and pedestrians at the same intersection in the parking lot of the same Walmart. The other incident involved a mother and her baby who was in a baby carrier in the shopping cart, who was thrown to the ground upon impact. That incident was captured on Walmart’s surveillance video system like Ms. Price’s incident and played for the jury.
One month before that, Walmart re-striped and re-painted its parking lot and still did not remedy the dangerous condition.
While Walmart Stores of Texas has experienced similar accidents at more than 18 other locations throughout the state of Texas in the last 5 years, it continues to refuse to place stop signs at all its stores. All other 18 videos of men, women, grandparents, toddlers, and infants being struck by vehicles under identical scenarios in Texas Walmart parking lots were likewise captured on surveillance video and played for the jury. Interestingly, at least 30 other Walmart locations throughout Texas do have these vital stop signs installed. When asked about this conundrum during the trial, Wal Mart’s corporate representative simply said he “did not know” why some stores have them and some don’t.
The incident took place at the portion of the parking lot in front of the store where pedestrians and vehicular traffic cross — the most dangerous area of the parking lot for pedestrians.
The jury rendered a verdict of $13.6 million in actual damages and $30 million in punitive damages. They assessed 75% fault to Walmart and 25% to Cass, the driver who struck her.
Houston Premises Liability Attorneys
When visiting someone else’s property, be it a private home or place of business, guests have a general expectation they will be safe. However, premises liability accidents occur every day and sometimes can lead to serious injury. Ramsey Law Group will determine if the property owner failed to keep his or her property safe in such a way it could have caused an accident. If needed, we will thoroughly investigate and look for key expert witnesses to help strengthen a case against the property owner. Our Houston personal injury attorneys have helped clients win cases that have given them the money to pay for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Contact us today for information on how we can help you with your premises liability claim.
