On April 13, a Texas woman filed a lawsuit against Wal-Mart for injuries she and her two children allegedly suffered in a car accident involving a driver who just bought tires from the big-box retailer. According to the suit, which was filed in the Marshall Division of the Eastern District of Texas, the woman’s two-year-old child suffered paralyzing spinal injuries in the May 2013 car accident. The suit further alleges that the accident may have been prevented if Wal-Mart workers had installed the other driver’s tires in the correct manner.
The suit claims that the woman was driving on Highway 80 in a light rain when her vehicle was struck by an SUV near Big Sandy. The driver of the SUV had allegedly lost control of the vehicle after hydroplaning on the road’s wet surface.
According to the personal injury lawsuit, the owner of the SUV had taken the vehicle to a Wal-Mart in Mineola on April 5 to have its tires replaced. However, the owner was only able to afford two new tires, and the Wal-Mart workers at the Tire & Lube Express facility allegedly placed them on the SUV’s front end instead of the rear end.
The lawsuit claims that the correct procedure would have been to leave worn tires at the front of the SUV and place the new tires at the rear. The complaint accuses Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of negligence and gross negligence and seeks more than $75,000 in damages.
The party at fault in an auto accident is not always one of the drivers involved in the crash. When that is the case, an Austin personal injury attorney may analyze accident reports and vehicle repair histories to identify the party that should be held accountable for the resulting damages. If found, the attorney may advise civil action against the responsible party.
