Sioux Falls woman sues Walmart after customer hits her with scooter cart

A Sioux Falls woman is suing Walmart after another customer hit and injured her with a motorized shopping cart in 2017, saying the company was negligent in its instructions on how to operate the scooters.

The 85-year-old woman was shopping with her daughter in Walmart on South Louise Avenue in June 2017 when another customer who was "recklessly driving a motorized shopping cart," ran into her right side, causing "serious injury and extreme pain," according to the lawsuit filed in Minnehaha County civil court this week. 

The customer "clearly did not know how to stop it (the motorized shopping cart)," the lawsuit claims. 

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The woman, Versella Grasz, "went to her knees in pain," according to the lawsuit. Grasz went to the emergency room after the incident, and has since incurred almost $30,000 in medical bills. The lawsuit contains multiple pages listing injuries and costs incurred. 

The lawsuit claims Walmart was negligent because it is responsible for the maintenance, inspection and control of its motorized shopping carts, "so that plaintiff and the public could shop without being injured."

Walmart "knew or should have known" that by allowing "unskilled shoppers" to drive the carts around other shoppers, that a "foreseeable dangerous condition" existed.

Grasz is requesting a "reasonable amount" to be determined by a judge or jury. 

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A spokesperson from Walmart issued the following statement: 

“We want all of our customers to have a pleasant shopping experience in our stories. We regret that Ms. Grasz was injured, however we do not feel that we did anything wrong. We believe the actions of the customer who was operating the motorized cart and hit Ms. Grasz were the sole cause of her injuries. We intend to defend the company against this litigation.”  

Email reporter Danielle Ferguson at dbferguson@argusleader.com, or follow on Twitter at @DaniFergs