Essie McKenzie: Minnesota mother sues Walmart after her daughter was KILLED in parking lot fire
FRIDLEY, MINNESOTA: A Minnesota mother is suing Walmart after one of her kids was killed and the other was left 'permanently damaged' by a fire that broke out in the parking lot of a store. When Essie McKenzie arrived at the Walmart Supercenter in Fridley, Minnesota, on August 6, 2019, her girls were sound asleep in the back of her minivan. McKenzie dropped off her mother at the airport, where the children, ages 6 and 9, were exhausted from being woken early, according to court filings.
The mother decided to let them sleep as it was around 6 am while she took care of some shopping, believing they would be safe. Minutes later, when she returned to the parking lot, the minivan was on fire, according to the court documents. First responders stopped her as she fled in the direction of the fire. She waited and watched as the girls were eventually extricated from the van by firefighters. They had been affected by the flames. The younger of the two suffered a heart arrest and was revived in the parking lot before being brought to a hospital, where she subsequently died. Her older sister lived but was left ‘permanently disfigured’ with severe burns.
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In the lawsuit against Walmart, which was filed on June 6, McKenzie's attorneys accuse the corporation of having a well-known policy that permits people to overnight camp out in store parking lots without keeping an eye on those visitors to assist safeguard the safety of other customers. According to the lawsuit, “Walmart encouraged and permitted a dangerous condition on its property. (Walmart) escalated that danger by failing to provide staff to oversee the appropriate use of its parking lot as a campground.” According to the investigators, a camp stove caused the fire. Documents show that a California man and his wife were crossing the country in their 2005 Dodge Caravan while residing in it. They made the choice to halt at the Fridley Walmart and set up camp there.
According to the reports, the man prepared breakfast on the morning of the fire using a camp stove. After completing it, he threw it in the back of their car without waiting for it to cool, then backed out of the parking lot into a spot closer to the store's entrance, one that was adjacent to McKenzie's minivan. Documents claim that when the man entered the business, the camp stove started a fire inside his car. His wife attempted to douse the flames, but she failed. According to Newsweek, their car caught fire, and it quickly moved to McKenzie's van.
According to Kare11, the man was given a sentence of 120 days in jail and three years in 2020 after pleading guilty to two counts of negligent fire inflicting grave bodily harm. McKenzie's lawyers are now asking for at least $75,000 in compensation. Meanwhile, Walmart's spokesperson, Randy Hargrove, told McClatchy News, “Our sympathies remain with the friends and family impacted by this tragic even three years ago” adding that the retail corporation “plan(s) to defend the company and will respond in Court to the Complaint as appropriate.”