• 18
  • November
    2010

A jury has ordered Walmart to pay fifteen million dollars to a woman who slipped and fell at a Walmart store in 2007. The woman is a self-employed trucker. The verdict is thought by some to be the biggest slip-and-fall award in the whole country.

The trial took five days. Walmart is considering an appeal. Holly Averyt, 41, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, delivered frozen foods to a Colorado Walmart in December of 2007. When she stepped on one of the receiving ramps behind the store, she slipped on ice and grease and fell on her back.

Averyt tried to report the incident to the Walmart employee who met her at the receiving door, but he refused to take her report. At trial Walmart denied Averyt's allegations.

Averyt had a spinal cord injury and she had three spine surgeries - two neck surgeries and one back surgery. Averyt said she was unable to return to work. Her truck was repossessed and she incurred about $500,000 in medical bills.

At trial, Averyt's team was able to prove that a grease retention system at the Walmart store was not working, causing a 175 foot streak of grease outside the store.

A memo about the grease overflow was written by a staff member of the city water and sewer department.

Averyt returned home and went to a doctor the next day. She had the first surgery due to damage from the fall six months later. Averyt has permanent spinal cord pain and injury.

Source: Greeley Tribune "Slip at Greeley store costs Walmart $15 million" 11/9/2010