Target Loses $4.6 Million in Parking Lot Syringe Lawsuit

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Summary: A jury has awarded a South Carolina woman $4.6 million for injuring herself with a needle in a Target parking lot.

A syringe in a Target parking lot may cost the retail giant $4.6 million. According to the Anderson Independent Mail, if the judgment stands it will be the largest that Anderson County of South Carolina has ever seen.

  

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In May 2014, Carla Denise Garrison was in the Target parking lot when she saw her 8-year-old daughter pick up a hypodermic syringe. Her mother instincts kicked in, and she swatted the syringe out of the girl’s hand, which caused the needle to prick her. Court documents said Garrison went inside the store and reported the injury.

After the needle prick, Garrison went to AnMed Health, and they tested her for HIV and hepatitis. The company prescribed her medication to ward a possible HIV infection, and she said that she was bedridden because of the medicine. In her lawsuit, it stated her husband had also taken time off of work to care for her.

Garrison’s test results have come back negative for both diseases.

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Garrison contacted Target through her attorney. She wanted $12,000 for her medical expenses, but Target countered that they would only pay $750. Target said that Garrison did not have case.

“A merchant is not an insurer of the safety of his customer but owes only the duty of exercising ordinary care to keep the premises in reasonably safe condition,” Target’s lawyer Knox Haynsworth III said.

Garrison took the case to trial, and the jury surprised her and her attorney by awarding them $4.6 million.

“We tried to be reasonable and not take this to trial. But Target took a really hard stance on it … and I think the jury sent a message,” Garrison’s lawyer Joshua Hawkins said.

According to the Independent Mail, Garrison said she was “too overwhelmed” to talk about the case.

Target spokeswoman Erika Winkels stated Target would consider appealing. She added that Target makes customer safety a priority.

Do you think Target will end up paying Garrison the full $4.6 million? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: The Independent Mail

Photo courtesy of NBC News