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Injured by Retail Display Hooks


As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury lawyer who served PI and wrongful death victims across North Texas since 1991, I know that accident can happen anywhere. Even retails stores which we all go to every day are fertile grounds for injury-causing accidents. Common accidents include not just slip, trip and falls, but also falling merchandise accidents and even display hook injuries.

The dangerous hooks used by all varieties of shops have been in common use for decades. Slatwall and pegboard displays allow retailers to display merchandise in such a way that it not only makes the products clearly visible to customers, but it also allows easy access to the product in question. Such displays are often located throughout stores; along perimeter walls, along each individual aisle and even on freestanding display towers located throughout the store. However, the threat that these hooks pose to members of the public - and in particular to children - are very real indeed.

If you were to closely examine some of these commonly used display hooks, you would see that they are generally thin wire hooks with a blunt-cut end. This in itself is very dangerous as if someone was to fall against them it could easily pierce the skin, or at least cause a cut, laceration or snagging. In order to minimize impalement injuries, some display hook manufacturers have taken minimal precautions in an attempt to prevent such injuries: some display hooks have rounded ends in place of the blunt-cut, other still have longer hooks that are bend back so that the end of the wire points back towards the display unit and away from the customer. However, despite these modifications, the hooks are still likely to cause very serious injuries.

Children are the group most at risk from suffering serious display hook-related injuries. The reason for this is that many hazardous display hooks are placed at kids' eye levels. Since children aged six and younger do not possess the same level of peripheral vision as adults, they are more prone to turn or run into thoughtlessly placed hooks. Even those hooks modified to prevent snagging injuries by having non-blunt ends have been shown to still pose a high risk of severe eye injuries to children. Due to the very small surface area at the end of the hooks, there remains an insufficient surface area to distribute pressure to an extend that an eye penetration injury would be prevented. A report by the American Society of Safety Engineers stated that "Only 10 lb of impact force from the end of a blunt-end ? inch wire hook generates penetrating pressures greater than 500 lb per square inch."

Due to the severity and potentially life-long consequences of injuries caused by merchandise display hooks, it is critical that you seek expert medical treatment immediately. You should also consult with a board certified personal injury attorney who has experienced in handling display hook injuries cases to discuss your unique situation and to understand your legal right to compensation. The more serious your injuries, the more significant their impact will be on the rest of your life.

To schedule a no fee, no obligation consultation with a DFW personal injury lawyer today, please call toll free at 800-354-6275, or locally in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or in Dallas at 214-327-8000. Personal injury victims or parents of injured children can also request a complimentary copy of my book 15 Mistakes That Will Wreck Your Texas Accident Case.


 Other Articles You Might Be Interested In:
Shop Display Hooks: An Unnecessary Threat to Children
Injuries from Falling Merchandise
Premises Liability
Making a Claim Doesn't Mean You're Suing Someone
Do You Have to Give the Insurance Company a Medical Authorization?




The Anderson Law Firm offers free no obligation consultations to people injured in accidents or who have suffered physical harm as a result of someone else's actions. We do not charge you to initially discuss your situation and establish whether you have a claim to pursue. You can call us and discuss your case over the phone, we can set up an appointment for you to come into our office, or we can visit you in your home anywhere in the metroplex.

If after meeting with us you decide that we are the best personal injury lawyer for you, then we will enter into a contingent fee agreement. This means that we only get paid when we win a settlement or jury verdict in your favor. You don't pay us anything up front. We will cover all expenses spent working on your case. Only when we win for you will you need to pay us. If we don't win, then you owe us nothing.

Contact us online now or call us 24 hours a day toll free on 1-800-354-MARK (1-800-345-6-275). You can also call us locally in Fort Worth on 817-294-1900 or in Dallas on 214-327-8000.


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