Shopper Struck by Heavy Doormats Receives £20,000

A woman who was injured when a stack of doormats fell from a high shelf in a hardware store has won £20,000 in compensation.

The woman, who was browsing in an aisle of the store, was suddenly hit on the head and shoulder by the thick rubber doormats. The impact caused soft tissue damage which, unfortunately, did not respond well to treatment.

As a result of the accident, the woman has been left with restricted movement and some degree of pain and discomfort which, it is thought, will be permanent. Because of the injury, she finds that her capacity for work is limited and she also now finds it difficult to carry out everyday tasks such as driving, housework and gardening.

The woman claimed that her injuries had been caused by the shop's health and safety failures. The doormats should not have been kept on a high shelf without there being a shelf guard in place to prevent them from falling, especially since the stack could easily become unstable if disturbed by customers.

The hardware store's initial offers of compensation to the woman were rejected as not being commensurate with the seriousness of the injury she suffered. Eventually, however, an amount of £20,000 was agreed to compensate her for her pain and suffering, loss of earnings, medication, travel and other costs.