Kmart has been ordered to pay $60,000 to a young girl whose eyelid was nearly torn off by a hook inside a store. Warning: Graphic.
Kmart has been ordered to pay $60,000 to a young girl whose eyelid was nearly torn off by a hook inside a store.
The six-year-old girl was walking down a children’s clothing aisle at the store in Chatswood, in Sydney’s north, in January 2020 when her eye got caught on a metal hook.
The trauma from the incident and the scar on her face left the girl unwilling to go back to school.
“(She) was very afraid and scared of facing her school teachers and classmates because she thinks she looks horrible,” the girl’s mother told NSW District Court.
“And she probably … cannot be prepared very strong to face some questions.”
The girl’s mum added that her daughter used to be “no stress” but now cried before going to bed every night and had to sleep with her parents, the Daily Telegraph reported.
A little girl suffered a horror eye injury at Kmart. Picture: Nine
Court ruled eye injury had “severe impact”
Kmart admitted breaching its duty of care but claimed the girl’s issues may also be linked to an unrelated stomach problem.
However, the court ruled that the eye injury at Kmart had a “severe impact”.
Judge Robert Montgomery said the scarring “is likely to be to some degree a disadvantage to her” in her future career.
“In my opinion, quite apart from the pain and inconvenience, the plaintiff’s demeanour and zest for life have been severely impacted by the defendant’s negligence,” he added.
Kmart was ordered to pay $59,929.36 plus court costs.
The young girl caught her eye on this hook. Picture: Nine