Elderly Woman Injured by Automatic Door at Target Settles Lawsuit for $7 Million
A suit against big box store Target has been settled for $7 million dollars, CBS News reported October 5th. Claire Putman, 80, of Des Plaines, Il, suffered a brain injury as a result of being struck in the head by a defective automatic door at a Target store in Rosemont (northwest of Chicago).
According to documents filed in court, Putman had just walked into the Target Store on Mannheim Road when the door malfunctioned and knocked her onto the ground. Putman was then struck again by the door as it continued to open and close.
Along with Target, the manufacturer of the door, Besam USA, was also a named defendant in the lawsuit.
Putman's attorneys argued that Target was negligent by failing to inspect and maintain the automatic doors and did not follow recommended safety guidelines. Additionally, Putman's attorneys argued that Besam did not provide an effective way of turning off the doors and alerting store employees that the door was malfunctioning.
Putman's settled the suit for $7 million. As a result of her injuries, Putman had to move into a nursing home.
