Man Loses Finger At Lowe’s. Do You Blame The Parent?

Some of my fondest memories as a child are hanging out with my dad.  As a young boy, my dad and I were inseparable.  I can often remember following my dad through a Lowe's store as he shopped for tools and garden supplies. For the most part my childhood memories are very pleasant.

One child in South Carolina is not so lucky.

According to his attorney Roy Willey, Mark Johnson was visiting a South Carolina Lowe's store with his young son. While his young son was looking at children's gardening supplies, dad was looking at the "big boy" products.  It was then that Mark turned around to see his son holding a full-sized pair of garden shears that were unguarded.

Any father would have panicked.

Johnson told his attorney what happened next. At that point he tried to get the shears from his son.  When he pulled his hand back the young boy closed the sheers.  When he did, it snipped the end of his finger.

Try as they might, doctors were not able to save what was left of the finger. Johnson fears the accident could have been much worse.  He could have took four fingers, his whole hand, or even severed the artery in his wrist.

Get our free mobile app

The man is suing Lowe's and Fiskars the company that makes the shears on display. Johnson's attorney say the company knows the way they are displaying their product is unsafe. Other similar products in the store by Craftsmen and other brands are protected. This protection is not expensive.

Both Lowe's and Fiskars deny any liability.

The store where the incident happened, now nearly two years ago, still has not changed the display on the Fiskars shears that caused the accident.  A quick check of Lowe's in San Angelo shows many different Fiskars sheers on sale in the store.  It is always a good rule of thumb to be keep one eye on your children at all times.

Somewhere near Charleston South Carolina, a child will most surely suffer the trauma of what could have been a much worse accident. It only takes a second for kids to find real trouble.