As further proof that  an injury can happen any  time and in any number of different  ways, an injured woman recovered  $75,000 in damages caused by slipping on a jalapeño pepper. She was  at her local Wal-Mart and slipped  on the jalapeño after leaving the  counter at the snack bar.  She testified that the area  around the snack bar was dirty and  that the jalapeño she slipped on was  "wrinkled" and "not fresh," as if  it had been there for some time.  Based on this, the jury decided that  Wal-Mart should have known that  the pepper was on the floor, and it  awarded the woman $75,000 for  her medical bills, past and future  pain and suffering, and mental anguish.

Airbag Danger

In another case, a jury  gave an injured driver an  award of almost $1 million for injuries the driver suffered  when the airbag in her car delayed  in opening. Airbags are designed to  fully deploy in 50 milliseconds, but  the evidence showed that this airbag did not completely open for  120 milliseconds. Because of the  delay, the driver's face was within  the "knock-out zone" as the bag  was deploying, and the deploying  bag struck her full in the face. She  lost one of her eyes and her eye  socket was permanently deformed.  Although airbags have probably prevented far more injuries  than they have caused, they are not  foolproof, and airbag manufacturers can be held liable when airbags  cause injuries.