In April of 2010, a Nebraska woman picked up two 46-ounce cans and a two-pound bag of rice at Walmart. The cashier put all of these items in a single bag. The bag broke, causing an injury which became infected. The infection led to the woman’s death. Now her family is suing Walmart, as well as the companies that made and distributed the faulty plastic bag, for wrongful death.

According to her family’s attorney, the bag broke, and one of the cans fell on her foot, breaking a toe and cutting her foot. The wound became infected, and her condition declined. Antibiotics and two surgeries couldn’t save her, and she died.

The problem isn’t just that the bag was defective, you see: Walmart is named in the suit because they were allegedly “negligent” in not training their employees how to bag properly. Had her purchases been double-bagged, after all, the can probably wouldn’t have fallen on her foot. If the purchases had been put in multiple bags, the defective bag might not have broken at all.

Plattsmouth man sues Wal-Mart, says overfilled plastic bag led to wife’s death [Lincoln Journal Star]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.