Store Holiday Decoration Dangers
There was recently reported on November 25, an unfortunate incident where a large ice sculpture in a crowded Luxembourg Christmas market collapsed and broke into pieces crushing to death a two-year-old boy right in front of his family.
Such a tragedy. But, these types of incidents are all too common.
Several years ago, we represented a family whose three-year-old child touched the base of a department store Christmas tree display, which caused the display to topple and resulted in a young child losing an eye.
Not surprisingly few store operators actually appreciate the danger that displays of any type, but especially holiday displays, present to customers and their children.
In our experience, there is a lack of training on what is needed to make a display stable. There also is a lack of appreciation of the fact that creating a display, with pretty lights and ornaments, is bound to attract toddlers to the display.
For the family we assisted, it didn’t take very much to topple the display. The child barely touched a lower branch on the artificial 8-foot tree. Shockingly, we learned that the display was put together by a part-time employee. It was right at the checkout counter, where parents and their children would routinely be located, and sometimes trapped so to speak, while other customers made it slowly through the check-out lane.
What made the situation worse? Well, in order to complete the sales transaction, the parent needed to attend to checking out, and diverted attention to stacking their purchase items onto the checkout counter, which took attention away from the child. All in all, a recipe for disaster fit for the pages of “disaster notebooks” everywhere.
Why do we share this information? Because there is a very real danger crouching around the next shopping aisle and because many people will be hitting the stores to shop in the next few days. If we can reach just one store decorator, or one parent, maybe we can help protect a child.
The Law Offices of David W. Holub is a personal injury law firm located in Merrillville, Indiana, focused on client-centered representation. We work hard to provide top quality legal representation while being accessible and attentive to our clients during times of personal challenge.
If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of negligence or product failure call one of our attorneys today at +1 (219) 736-9700. We concentrate in personal injury cases of all types, medical malpractice, and wrongful death litigation.