On July 2, 2012, Deborah Revette slipped and fell in clear liquid laundry detergent that was on the floor in the chemical aisle at a Dollar General Store in Mobile, Alabama. As a result, she suffered severe leg and shoulder fractures, which necessitated eight surgeries, 395 doctor visits, and over $470,000 in medical bills. Revette, who was 60 years old when she fell, is permanently disabled.
Ms. Revette sued Dollar General. At trial, the evidence showed that the store’s safety inspection policies were deficient. While the store is open 14 hours a day, corporate policy only required employees to devote 10 minutes each day to safety inspections. Moreover, those safety inspections were informal, undocumented, and not verified by a supervisor. The jury also heard evidence regarding the inspection practices of other retailers in and around Mobile County. Comparatively, Dollar General’s practices were clearly unsafe and unacceptable. On September 21, 2016, the jury returned a $1,725,000 verdict in favor of Ms. Revette.
Premises owners have a duty to invitees to discover unreasonably dangerous conditions and to make the premises safe for use by such invitees. In the case of Dollar General, the premises owners breached their duty by failing to discover and clean up the laundry detergent which caused Ms. Revette to fall. If Dollar General had proper inspection policies in place, store personnel would have been much more likely discover the dangerous condition and prevent the serious injuries suffered by Ms. Revette.
If you or a loved one has been injured due to a premises owner’s failure to adhere to this duty, contact one of the experienced attorneys at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner for a free consultation by calling (713) 222-7211 or toll free at 713-222-7211.