Woman sues Aldi after she was injured in ‘special buys’ rush for discount TVs

theguardian.com:

A woman is taking legal action against Aldi after she was injured at a Victorian store last year amid a “special buys” frenzy involving discounted TVs.

The 73-year-old, who wishes to remain anonymous, is seeking compensation after she was allegedly struck by another customer’s trolley and knocked to the ground during the heavily promoted sale at the Corio store in August 2021.

The woman was knocked to the ground and suffered a fractured hip, which required surgery. According to a statement of claim filed in the Victorian county court, the incident also left the woman with ongoing trochanteric bursitis, depression and anxiety.

Jodie Harris from Arnold Thomas & Becker lawyers, who is representing the injured woman, said on the day of the sale a large number of customers were “milling about” outside the store hoping to buy one of six large TVs on sale.

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“The doors opened and then there was a rush of people to get in,” Harris said.

“There was no orderly lines that were there, there was no system … [my client] was knocked to the ground right in the entrance way.”

The German supermarket giant Aldi is well known for its “special buys” sales, which tend to draw large crowds of people hoping to score a bargain on a range of products from chainsaws to ski gear.

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Harris said her client was the only person injured during the sale. She said the woman laid on the ground after being knocked down as customers walked around her, with one even lifting their trolley over her.

“Another customer [did