A South Carolina woman was awarded more than $4.6 million following an incident when she was stuck by a needle in a Target store parking lot. Remarkably, her lawyer attempted to settle with Target before trial for $12,000 but Target rejected that offer. In response, Target offered the woman $750 and she was forced to go to trial.
In May of 2014, the woman and her young daughter got out of their car in a Target parking lot. When the woman’s daughter picked up a hypodermic needle, she swatted the needle out of her daughter’s hand. As she swatted the needle, it stuck her in the palm of her right hand.
The woman reported the injury to a Target employee who noted in a Target Guest Incident Report that the woman “seemed worried”. The report is an internal document that is filled out by a Target employee or manager. Information is collected from the “guest” about their accident and injuries while at Target.
The injured woman was treated by medical professionals. She was tested for hepatitis and HIV. She also received a prescription for medication due to the potential risk that she could contract HIV.
The medications made the woman sick and bedridden. Her husband also had to take time off of work to tend to his wife. Ultimately, the woman tested negative for both hepatitis and HIV – at least as of the time of trial.
According to the woman’s attorney, they only wanted Target to make the woman and her family whole. They asked Target to pay for time that the husband took off from work and for the woman’s medical bills. But Target refused to be reasonable and took a hard stance. In reality, Target pushed this family into a jury trial if they wanted to have the opportunity for a full, fair and complete recovery.
In the course of the litigation, Target claimed that the company did not have any constructive or actual notice of the existence of the needle. It also argued that as a retail store it was not an insurer of the safety of all the customers. Target argued it only owed a “duty of exercising ordinary care to keep the premises in reasonably safe condition”. Target was unsuccessful in its attempt to have the court determine as a matter of law that Target was not responsible for this woman’s injuries.
A jury trial proceeded against Target. Much to the surprise of everyone, the jury sent a strong and clear message to Target. It found in favor of the woman and her husband and awarded more than $4.6 million.
As lawyers representing Target accident and injury victims will tell you, Target and many large corporations will take a hard stance in litigation. These companies hope to wear plaintiffs down or to scare people into accepting unreasonably low settlements. But this woman in South Carolina stood strong and she trusted the jury to judge her case and deliver justice.
Miami Target Accident and Injury Lawyers
If you were injured in a Target store in Miami, you should call the Target injury and accident attorneys at Wolfson & Leon. Our Miami personal injury lawyers represent Target personal injury victims. We investigate all types of injury cases against Target. Our lawyers also collect information from other cases filed against Target and use that information to help our clients get the justice they deserve. Call us today and let us help you.
You can contact us at (305) 285-1115 for a free and confidential consultation or simply email our Managing Attorney Jonah Wolfson who is a bilingual personal injury lawyer in Miami.