Menards Shopper Killed by Falling Tiles

Just days before his 39th birthday, Richard Colletti of Clinton Township, MI was killed while shopping at the Menards in Chesterfield Township. Colletti and his wife were in the store the morning of August 30, 2014 when a 400-500 pound pallet of ceramic tiles and other flooring supplies fell from a shelf 12-15 feet high. Colletti’s wife was uninjured, but the pallet hit Colletti on the head and he was taken to McClaren Hospital in Mt. Clemens, where he later died. The Law Offices of Goodwin & Scieszka offers their deepest condolences to the Colletti family.

Police Lieutenant Brad Kersten reported that 15-20 minutes prior to the incident, the aisle had been closed for store employees to restock the shelves using a forklift. The aisle had been reopened at the time Colletti and his wife were in the area. The case is being investigated, but it is not expected that criminal negligence will be found. Menards has yet to publicly comment on the accident. The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) has stated they will not be investigating the accident as they only deal with accidents involving employees, not customers.

Menards may not be found criminally negligent, but that doesn’t mean Colletti’s family won’t be able to sue the store for wrongful death. It’s common practice for stores such as Menards, Home Depot, and Lowes to place heavy merchandise on high shelves and for employees to use forklifts to stock them. Although it’s a common practice, accidents like this one have happened in other stores around the country.

If you’ve lost a loved one due to an accident that could have been prevented, don’t wait to contact an attorney. You may be entitled to compensation. At Goodwin & Scieszka, we have over 20 years of experience working to fight for people just like you.

Our personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Goodwin & Scieszka are well-versed in other areas of injury law, like medical malpractice cases and slip and fall accident claims. Contact us to see how we can help you be fairly compensated due to someone else’s negligence.