Shopper says trolley with rice bags hit her at a supermarket and wants to press charges; store denies fault

SINGAPORE: A woman who was shopping at Sheng Siong supermarket claimed that she was hit by a shopping cart loaded with bags of rice. With this, she filed a lawsuit against the supermarket and the employee and also sought compensation for what had happened. 

As reported by 8world News, the incident happened in March 2021, when the woman claimed that an employee in uniform pushed a cart loaded with bags of rice, which then hit her left foot and back from behind. She argued that the employee pushed the cart too fast and failed to observe the surroundings, not slowing down to avoid her in time. Additionally, she claimed that there was no sufficient space in the supermarket aisles and that the supermarket did not provide adequate training and supervision to its employees. 

Due to the incident, the woman got medical attention at a nearby clinic accompanied by the supermarket branch manager, and she later received treatment at the hospital. It was reported that she suffered bruises, swelling, and abrasions on her left foot. Furthermore, she also injured her heel. She also indicated that the incident caused her pre-existing lumbar spine problems that led to chronic pain and depression. 

With this, the victim is demanding the supermarket to compensate for her medical expenses and transportation expenses, which cost approximately  S$9,309.74 and S$1,783.95 respectively. 

Supermarket denies allegations 

Regarding this incident, the supermarket then denied any negligence on their part. The supermarket explained that the employee was loading several bags of rice, recently delivered, onto the shopping cart and was pushing it down when the woman suddenly emerged from the aisle and appeared in front of the cart without noticing the employee. 

The supermarket believes the accident and the woman’s injuries were entirely caused by her own negligence, and that she has responsibility for what happened as well. The supermarket claimed that the woman was not paying attention to her surroundings, resulting in her being struck and injured. 

This case is currently being heard in the State Courts. 

Other related news 

In similar news related to supermarket concerns, there was a report where a customer complained about a young girl being placed and seated inside a plastic trolley that was being pushed around by her guardians while shopping. 

The customer declared: “Imagine the heavy weight on the plastic trolley meant for light shopping; the trolley will certainly be damaged.” 

Read more about the news incident here.