Recent Home Depot Accident Cases

Home improvement stores like Home Depot are stocked with thousands of products — a large percentage of which are heavy construction materials. Additionally, employees in these stores frequently operate forklifts and other types of heavy machinery. Because of hazards like these, people have been severely injured or killed in accidents at Home Depot stores on multiple occasions:

Palo Alto, CA Home Depot Employee Killed in Forklift Accident

Ronald Mishna, a Home Depot employee from East Palo Alto CA, was killed in a forklift accident in the early hours of May 13, 2022. The incident occurred when Mishna, 39, was struck in the head by a case of water that had fallen off a raised pallet.

Home Depot employees called 911 around 5 a.m. to report the accident that resulted in Mishna’s death. Police reportedly found nothing suspicious on the scene, although a subsequent investigation was conducted by the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA).

Delivery Driver Killed by Falling Construction Materials at Home Depot

Delivery driver Cyrenus Leroy Amon, 47, was killed on the job in January 2021 while unloading materials at a Home Depot in St. Petersburg, Florida. Amon, who was employed by a third-party carrier, died when the drywall he was unloading fell on him.

Florida Home Depot Employee Killed in Forklift Accident

In November 2021, an employee at a Home Depot in Fleming Island, Florida was killed in a forklift accident. Elijah Chute, 22, was fatally injured in a collision between a forklift and a semi-truck. Following the incident, Chute was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died on the same day.

Customer Injured by Forklift Operator at St Louis Home Depot

On April 20, 2020, a Home Depot Customer in St. Louis, Missouri was injured by a forklift driver who was helping him load landscaping bricks into his truck. The customer, Nicholas Edison, sustained severe injuries, including a crush injury to his chest wall, when the forklift driver accidentally crushed him and pinned him against his truck bed.

Customer Accidents at Home Depot

As a customer in a Home Depot, you have a right to a safe and injury-free shopping experience. In the event you are injured, legal action can prove that the business was either negligent or did not have any precautions in place to prevent the injury.

Customers at Home Depot can be injured in several ways, including:

• Slip and fall accidents;
• Falling objects from high shelves;
• Negligence from Home Depot Employees;
• Unsafe conditions in the store (wet floors, hazards left unchanged, any dangerous condition on the property);
• Parking lot incidents, though Home Depot may not be liable for car crashes in parking lots.

Any of these accidents can potentially cause severe injuries that will substantially impact your life and require costly care. If you suspect Home Depot may be at fault for an injury sustained while shopping, it’s important to act promptly and take the right steps.

What To Do If You Are Injured While Shopping at Home Depot

Unsuspectedly being in an accident while shopping can be a traumatic experience. The moments directly after can be filled with confusion and shock, and victims may question whether they were at fault for what happened. Customers who sustain an injury at a Home Depot location should do the following:

• Seek medical attention: Directly after your accident, assess how you feel, and request medical attention from relevant authorities if you think it is necessary. The documentation created from calling relevant authorities and receiving medical attention will contribute to evidence in your case.

• File an accident report: After you’ve been medically taken care of, file a report with the store manager. The incident report will have the date and time of what happened and will help your lawyers pinpoint security camera footage or other evidence. Never admit fault in the situation and never give a recorded statement to Home Depot about the incident.

• Gather contact details: Save and store contact information for workers, customers, and any other person who may have witnessed the incident. Testimony from people who witnessed the incident can help your case greatly.

• Contact an attorney and file a lawsuit:  It can be a long and tumultuous process at times, but in the end, an injury lawyer can help advocate for a settlement amount that adequately covers your injury and its various impacts.

Mitigating Injuries

If you were injured in an accident at Home Depot, you must mitigate your injuries. Mitigation essentially means lessening the impact of an injury and the costs of an accident.

Mitigation can mean seeking medical treatment, repairing or replacing damaged property, and any other action to alleviate the effects of an accident. If you do not mitigate injuries, it may be difficult to secure a reasonable amount of compensation.

Employee Accidents at Home Depot

Employees injured while at work typically go through worker’s compensation claims to remedy the impacts of an injury. In the case that a duty of care was violated, negligence was at play, or Home Depot is not reasonably providing a safe work environment that prevents injuries, employees may have the right to file suit.

Home Depot employees can also be injured in several different ways:   

• Forklift accidents;
• Incidents involving heavy machinery;
• Inventory falling while stocking shelves and storage;
• Slip and fall incidents.

If you’re injured in an accident at Home Depot as an employee, contact a personal injury lawyer while going through the worker’s compensation process. While legal action may not be necessary for a workplace injury every time, a trusted law firm will provide advice on the viability of a lawsuit.

Potential Home Depot Accident Injuries

Even a seemingly minor slip and fall accident or falling object accident can result in severe injuries.

Some common injuries resulting from accidents at Home Depot may include: 

• Broken or fractured bones;
• Concussions, traumatic brain injuries;
• Neck, spinal cord, and/or back injuries;
• Cuts, lacerations, bruises, and bumps;
• Muscular damage;
• Shoulder, knee, foot, ankle, and hand injuries.

Sustaining any of these injuries can threaten your financial situation and your overall quality of life. If Home Depot is found to be liable for your accident, the severity of your accident and the impact it’s had on your life will help your lawyers determine fair damages.

Determining Liability In Home Depot Accidents

Like other premises liability cases, the property owner has a duty of care and must ensure a safe and hazard-free environment. Injured customers or employees may have the right to sue Home Depot if it’s found that the duty of care was violated, negligence was involved, or reasonable safety precautions weren’t taken.

If you’re injured at a Home Depot, you will likely be in contact with Sedgwick, a third-party adjuster for the store’s insurance company. Companies like Sedgwick are designed to reduce the costs for their clients and may deny claims from injured people.

You mustn’t try to handle the injury claims process with Sedgwick by yourself, because they may deny any claims you’ve made. A law firm can help guide you through the time after your accident and will make sure that you receive an adequate settlement.

Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer After a Home Depot Accident

After an incident has occurred and you receive medical attention, search for and contact an experienced law firm that handles Home Depot Accidents as soon as possible. You should find a law firm with a proven track record in personal injury cases that understands the importance of the attorney-client relationship.

Once you’ve gone through an initial free consultation, a law firm will assign a lawyer to your case and file a premises liability claim. Your lawyer and staff at the law firm should handle your case with care, keep you updated as necessary, and let you focus on your recovery. You can help your lawyer by gathering all evidence you possibly can and being open and honest with them to build a strong case for compensation.

Gathering Evidence for a Home Depot Accident Case

Personal injury lawsuits rely on quality evidence. It is imperative that you gather evidence and preserve it as soon as possible after an accident. Evidence in a Home Depot accident injury claim may include:

• Medical records and medical reports;
• Photos or videos of your injury and the scene;
• Store camera footage;
• Any records of communication with Home Depot employees or managers (phone calls, emails, etc.);
• Proof that a dangerous condition was left unchanged and led to your injury.

The evidence you’ll need depends on the specific nature of your case. Sharing every detail of the accident with your lawyer can help you ensure that all the valuable evidence in your case is taken into account.

Assessing Damages for a Home Depot Accident

A Home Depot Accident Lawyer will help you recover compensation according to the damages incurred as a result of an accident. Damages in a personal injury claim against Home Depot may include:

• Medical expenses and medical bills;
• Future medical expenses;
• Lost wages or reduced earning ability;
• Emotional distress, pain, and suffering;
• Loss of consortium or quality of life;
• Permanent disability.

This list is not exhaustive, and your claim may include other compensatory and/or punitive damages. Your lawyer will help you calculate fair damages and ensure you are fairly compensated for your injury.

TorHoerman Law: Your Home Depot Accident Lawyer

If you or a loved one was injured in an incident at a Home Depot store, you may be eligible for a lawsuit.

TorHoerman Law’s team of Home Depot Slip and Fall and Home Depot Accident Lawyers will work tirelessly to secure fair compensation for your accident case. We’ve helped secure millions in compensation for clients harmed at no fault of their own.

Contact us or use the chatbot on this page for an instant, free legal consultation to see if you qualify for a lawsuit.