Life as I Know It; Family; Lifestyle; and Healthy Living!
I coulda...
Published on June 27, 2005 By foreverserenity In Blogging
My kids love going to Walmart because it's so much fun for them. They like going to the other stores we shop at too, but Walmart is their absolute favorite. What with all the toys, a fun room to keep little ones occupied (never without supervision of course!), and to actually get a chance to play the latest game on the game consoles they have in the music/game area.....that place is heaven to them!

So there we are at our regular Super Walmart shopping for our weekly groceries. Finally after spending an hour, yes an hour, and it can be longer if I have to buy any kind of non-grocery products! So this visit was one hour and half tops. I rounded up the gang and off we go to the cash register. I have to keep an eye on each item that is checked to make sure the correct prices are being charged (they love to advertise one price and charge you another).

My little one was with us standing in line and looking around at the same time. You know they keep those candy and little gadgets at the front just so the kids will bother mommy and daddy into buying them. The next thing I know I turned away for a second from her and she's on the floor face down! She hit herself really hard because she was on the floor belly down and couldn't move. I took her up and comforted her then I realized there was something on the floor that she slipped on. Apparently someone made a mess on the floor , I couldn't tell what it was, it was yucky looking and pretty slimey so anyone having the misfortune to step on it would meet the floor! I didn't see it at the time because it was a little off away from us near the candy area.

While I comforted her because she was screaming like crazy I got someone's attention and asked them to clean up the mess on the floor before someone else had an accident. Then another employee brought some tissue over for me to wipe my daughter's face which was a mess. Of course my first concern for her was that she hadn't damage her mouth, which is still tender and that she had no cuts. She didnt' want to come out of my arms for me to check her body for bruises. So I comforted her until they finished ringing me up. Then I asked her to stand up so mommy could make sure she could walk, she did gingerly and I saw that she was ok. Then she told me her tummy hurt. So I carried her out to the car.

I didn't demand to see the manager. I didn't make a scene, nor did I take her to customer service to make a report. If she was really seriously hurt and bleeding I would have made a report, but since she wasn't I didn't see the need to. However if I really wanted to I guess I could have made a federal case out of this incident. But not all of us are money-hungry and waiting for a quick run to "lawsuit" land!

She was ok and playing around at home half hour later. Smiling and happily eating ice-cream while watching her Dora! Thank God for that!

Comments
on Jun 27, 2005
If you want to sue the immediate actions you took will and should forgo that. A manager should have been called, a fuss should have been created, and you should get witnesses immediately after the incident. Without witnesses you're lost. I and my kids love WalMart as well. All our shopping happens there.
on Jun 27, 2005
Although, there are some heads that are going to SERIOUSLY roll at this Wal-Mart. They're not supposed to let you out the door without an incident report and taking pictures of the area. I will be surprised if someone isn't fired over this.
on Jun 27, 2005
It wasn't necessary to make a fuss as I said because she was alright. We didnt' leave the store right away because I had to make sure she could walk first, and that her mouth wasn't damaged and that she wasn't bleeding. I had two employees who saw what happened and who assisted us. Injury could have happened afterwards of course but having had my fair share of childhood injuries with her older siblings I can tell that she was mostly just winded and frightened from the fall. The good thing is she's very resilient and if she was seriously hurt that would have shown up overnight. Beleive me if I wanted to go that route, cameras are all over the store.
on Jun 27, 2005
Although, there are some heads that are going to SERIOUSLY roll at this Wal-Mart. They're not supposed to let you out the door without an incident report and taking pictures of the area. I will be surprised if someone isn't fired over this.


I don't know Gid. You're right of course. And honestly I had to get the employees involved, one cleaning up, and the other getting me napkins, because they just stood there! Perhaps the training factor is in question as has been discussed on previous threads.
on Jun 27, 2005
forever,

Yeah, but that's just my experience having worked at Wal-Mart and knowing store policy. If a customer reported a slip or fall on a spill, it was to be documented, preferably with statements from the injured party, if they could be obtained. And that was precisely so the store would be covered if someone DID sue.
on Jun 27, 2005
And that was precisely so the store would be covered if someone DID sue.


I guess they messed up then!
on Jun 27, 2005
I've had plenty of little incidents with my boys in stores that could have been translated into lawsuits, but like you, I figure so long as they're OK and I'm not having to pay medical bills out of pocket for their injuries, there's no need to cause all that trouble.

You did exactly what I would have done. Comforted and tended to my baby first and inspected him/her for injuries, and then alerted the store employees to the problem that needed to be taken care of.

I'm glad your daughter's OK...I'm sure that had to be very scary to her.
on Jun 27, 2005
It is the practice of the business I work in to document a paper cut. It doesn't always happen. Gene is right. They should have had pictures and the whole shebang.

One of our employees just had a slip and fall at a local Wal-Mart and they were all over her. She hasn't called in a couple of days but from what I understand the store has called to check on her a couple of times and made sure she didn't need anything from them.

In this day and age of sue happy people (and I'm glad you aren't), the best four bucks you can spend is on a little disposable camera. My insurance comapny is in a suit over an accident my wife had. They are going to pay this guy tens of thousands of dollars for a minor accident because the only "witness" to the accident is a little old lady who changed her story twice at the scene. If she had been able to take pictures of this guy and how well he was moving around at the time of the accident it would have helped thier case. This guy already had cat scans of his back scheduled from an accident a month before. He is scamming the insurance companies and he is going to get away with it.

Thanks for not making the rest of us pay for a minor accident.
on Jun 27, 2005
Gene is right. They should have had pictures and the whole shebang.


yes, Gid is correct!


They are going to pay this guy tens of thousands of dollars for a minor accident because the only "witness" to the accident is a little old lady who changed her story twice at the scene. If she had been able to take pictures of this guy and how well he was moving around at the time of the accident it would have helped thier case. This guy already had cat scans of his back scheduled from an accident a month before. He is scamming the insurance companies and he is going to get away with it.


Yikes! I'm sorry for what your wife is going through. Sounds like this guy does this for a living! Too many times people like him coherce little incidents to make money!


You did exactly what I would have done. Comforted and tended to my baby first and inspected him/her for injuries, and then alerted the store employees to the problem that needed to be taken care of.


Yes, this was most important. Like I said, I wanted to make sure she was ok and that I wouldn't have to rush off to the ER with her too was on my mind! She wasn't bleeding or anything so I knew she was ok once she could walk. Plus using the bathroom after we got home!

I'm glad your daughter's OK...I'm sure that had to be very scary to her.


Thanks Tex. Yes she was a little scared by the fall. But all's well that end's well!
on Jun 27, 2005
Yes she was a little scared by the fall. But all's well that end's well!

That's the main thing. I'm glad she's ok
on Jun 28, 2005
That's the main thing. I'm glad she's ok


Yes she is IG. Thx!



From what I've heard, WalMart rarely, if ever, settles out of court on personal injury suits. They have lots of lawyers, deep pockets to pay them with, and will drag it out for years.



I bet they do have lots of lawyers to fend off their law suits! Like I would even have the time or energy to do a dragfest with them, ! Seriously though, she's not hurt and I won't even think about it.


BTW, my husband told me yesterday evening he saw a co-worker of his when he stopped by the Walmart to get milk, who told him that something just fell on his head when he was reaching for it and he reported it to customer service, filled out forms etc., then he asked my husband, do you think that's a good case for a law suit?! My husband didn't have an answer for him. The man wasn't bleeding, didn't seem to be hurt was still there walking around and shopping. He couldn't believe some people would be so desperate. But in these times, I guess they would!
on Jun 28, 2005
So happy to hear your littley is alright. I'm even happier to hear you didn't see this as an opportunity to 'get rich quick'. As for your husband's experience, I hope he told his co-worker to wake up to himself. This sort of greed is so pervasive these days, it sickens me.

Good article, Serenity.

Cheers,

Maso
on Jun 29, 2005
So happy to hear your littley is alright. I'm even happier to hear you didn't see this as an opportunity to 'get rich quick'.


Thanks Maso. Nope, this girl doesn't need to have a scheme to get rich! The good old fashion way will do....lottery tickets anyone?! !



I hope he told his co-worker to wake up to himself. This sort of greed is so pervasive these days, it sickens me.



I know. It's pretty much the way to go these days it seems. Everybody else ends up paying for it with the higher costs of consumerism!
on Jun 30, 2005
From what I've heard, WalMart rarely, if ever, settles out of court on personal injury suits.


That's only partly true. If they can settle out with a gift card, they do that, because it's easy to write off. But as far as cash, they give out as little cash as possible, even to their employees (which is why they push so hard to get their employees to buy company stock that, as I discovered the hard way, you can't cash out once you have stopped working there...so it's money lost, basically!)
on Jun 30, 2005
(which is why they push so hard to get their employees to buy company stock that, as I discovered the hard way, you can't cash out once you have stopped working there...so it's money lost, basically!)


Now that really, really sucks! I can't believe they do that! Unworthy stocks then....wow!