A Rangeley Plantation woman who was struck by falling merchandise while she shopped at the Farmington Wal-Mart store has won a civil lawsuit against the international discount chain. The mother of three young children, Haley claimed a stack of automotive repair devices called ''creepers'' fell on her as she attempted to put one of the items into her shopping cart.
Creepers enable people to slide under vehicles to do repair work.
Tom Williams, a spokesman for Wal-Mart Inc. in Bentonville, Ark., said, ''We don't believe there was anything wrong in the way the creepers were displayed at our store. The date of the accident was Feb. 3, 1998. Describing herself as a seasonal worker who cleaned motel rooms and served as a waitress in the Rangeley area, Haley also collected admissions at the door of a local nightclub. Surgery on her shoulder was followed by complications and a painful recovery. Haley testified she continues to have sporadic pain in her shoulder and has lost some ability to move her shoulder, lift her arms and lift heavy objects.