# Injured at Lowes



## Stephenw (Nov 14, 2011)

Yesterday I was getting a board out of the lumber rack at Lowes. A large plastic sign with metal hangers came loose from the top of the rack. I didn't see it coming as it fell and it hit me in the back of the hand. I shouted out a profanity as I felt the sharp pain.

A blood vessel under the skin on the back of my hand ruptured. The back of my hand quickly swelled. I filled out their accident report and the manager took pictures of my hand and the rest of the scene.

I told the manager I thought I would survive, but was reporting the accident in case the swelling didn't stop and I had to go to a doctor.

The swelling went away, and today my hand is sore with a bruise on the back. It will be better in a couple of days.

It would have been nice if they had offered me a small discount on my purchase. At the least, they should have offered to help me load my lumber.

I should have left the boards and went to the Home Depot.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Wow, insult to injury…..


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

HUH?...


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## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

Unfortunately they don't offer the discount… as that gets treated/seen as an admission of guilt.

One of the downsides of a lawsuit happy society - - it prevents people from simply doing the right thing out of fear that no good deed will go unpunished.


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## Stephenw (Nov 14, 2011)

> *HorizontalMike said,* "HUH?..."


Their sign wasn't securely attached to the lumber rack. It came loose and fell, smacking me in the back off the hand. It was about like being hit with a hammer. I will recover, but my hand is going to hurt for a few days. It was their fault. They didn't seem to care.

Is that more understandable?


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

What I am wondering about is, after you deciding that this was basically a trivial event and you took a 'wait and see posture', that you now appear to be taking a 'you OWE me something for this' posture. IMO, you did the right thing the first time. As you said, your hand is healing. You should have been proud of your actions at the time.

Now it just smells of greed, IMO. Never mind what position the company took, you are only in charge of your own actions, not theirs. That is just my opinion. Your mileage may vary.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Damn, Mike….. I didn't think it was that hard to understand…..He explained it clearly…....twice even….The second time wasn't necessary….......


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Uh??? Why didn't ya get a staff member to pull the wood? That's where the culpability rests. May not be cool, but that's the way the legal team will think.
Hope ya don't have any probs.
Do ya think HD would be any more helpfull?
Bill


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## RibsBrisket4me (Jul 17, 2011)

OP pulled on a board and knocked a sign over--Accidents happen all the time…does not mean it's anyone's "fault" or a suit or some compensation should be involved. Especially of there is no loss of wage or loss of ability to work, or no "significant" harm.---


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

I agree with DrDirt. I'm sure they have a strict protocol to follow in cases like this. I'm guessing he didn't apologize and say it was their fault either.

As to Horizontal Mike's remarks, I get his point. It was an accident and you weren't seriously hurt, so everything should have gone down pretty much like it did. However, in a less lawsuit-happy world, a manager would probably apologize for the loose sign and give you a small gift card or something to compensate you for the inconvenience.


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## Stephenw (Nov 14, 2011)

I didn't say that I should have been given a wad of cash. I said a small discount would have been nice.

Example; "We're sorry about this and are going to knock 5% off you're purchase."

I said at the least, they should have offered to help load my lumber.

Example; "We're sorry about this. Would you like someone to help load your lumber in your vehicle?"

I'm pretty sure they didn't even say sorry.

They are certainly responsible. If they have a sign at the top of the rack with vertically loaded lumber, it should be secured well enough that it will not come loose if bumped by the end of a board.

Mike, I wasn't thinking about these things when I was standing there with a throbbing hand. I was worried about my hand.

My dad had an object hit his hand and rupture a blood vessel under the skin. In his case, the bleeding and swelling did not stop. He was in the emergency room by evening. I wasn't as concerned in my case. My Dad was in his 60s at the time, I am only 45.

I don't know if it would have been different at the Home Depot. I'm mad at Lowes, so I will buy from the Home Depot for now. One day, the Home Depot will probably make me mad and I will be back at Lowes.


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## Texican62 (May 20, 2013)

Several years ago I was shopping at Walmart. I was in the produce section picking out some fruit. I wasn't looking where I was walking and failed to notice a produce bag dispenser hanging overhead. I smacked it pretty hard, I shrugged it off and kept shopping. Went home had dinner with my girlfriend and went to bed. Woke up in the middle of the night with a severe headache and started to vomit. Went to the ER and after a CT scan, I was diagnosed with a concussion. Went back to the Walmart the next day with the hospital paperwork, filed a report and spoke with the store manager. All I wanted was for them to cover my co-pay for the ER but I got a letter a week or so later from Walmart legal department saying after an investigation, they found that the store was not at fault. 
Stores cannot admit fault because it opens themselves up to litigation. By even offering a discount, the store could have been found culpable. It is a reflection on how our society has changed.


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