A South Carolina jury has awarded $10 million to a woman who had to undergo multiple amputations after stepping on a rusty nail at a Walmart store. According to New York Post, the 2015 incident happened while April Jones was shopping at one of the retail store’s outlets in Florence.
Jones, who sued Walmart following the incident, stepped on the rusty nail while she was at the store’s main aisle. And jurors were told she suffered an infection that required multiple surgeries as a result. Her right leg was later amputated due to the severity of the infection.
But prior to losing her leg, one of the toes on Jones’ right foot was amputated before she lost three more toes in the same fate. Her leg was ultimately amputated.
Jones has been wheelchair-bound over the last six years, and her adult children have had to step in to take care of her, New York Post reported. Jones was awarded the $10 million by the jury last week after they deliberated for around 100 minutes.
“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,” a statement from the law firm representing Jones stated, per WMBF.
The law firm also said an expert from Walmart who testified on cross-examination admitted Jones sustained the injury as a result of stepping on the rusty nail. Her lawyers said she will use the funds to purchase a prosthetic, cover her medical bills, and make her home more wheelchair-accessible.
“The jury sent a message to Walmart that if you come into Florence County and injure one of their own, they will make sure that person is taken care (of),” Roy Willey, one of Jones’ lawyers, said in the statement. “We are forever grateful.”
