Jury awards $7.5M to man who says he was injured buying watermelons at Walmart

An Alabama jury on Wednesday awarded $7.5 million to a man who sued Walmart after he said he broke his hip buying watermelon at a store.

Henry Walker, who was 59 at the time, claimed that on June 25, 2015, his foot became trapped in a pallet beneath a stack of watermelons while reaching for one.

Walmart has maintained that the display was not dangerous, and that any negligence was Walker’s fault.

“We are disappointed in the verdict,” a  Walmart spokesman said. “We appreciate the jury’s service, however we believe that the damages awarded were excessive in light of the facts in this case. We plan to appeal.”

Walmart continues to uses the same displays for watermelon despite the incident.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.