Walmart has been ordered to pay $4.3 million to a contractor as compensation for his injuries after a shoplifter hit him with a car while fleeing the scene.

A Smith County jury awarded the compensation to the worker, Scott Lacy, after he filed a lawsuit against Walmart following the incident.

In July 2020, Lacy was working as a subcontractor at Walmart in Tyler when multiple employees called for assistance in capturing a shoplifter.

They managed to retrieve the stolen items, before a Walmart employee asked Lacy to let the suspect go.

However, the shoplifter later rammed his car into Lacy as he was heading back to the store, resulting in Lacy’s shattered ankle, which required multiple surgeries, and a traumatic brain injury.

The suspect, Herbert Vanderkinter, was eventually arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and property theft.

At the trial, Lacy’s lawyers presented evidence showing Walmart’s lack of proper training to employees regarding its shoplifting policy, which details the serious risks involved with pursuing shoplifters.

“If the Walmart staff were properly trained, this whole incident would have been preventable,” Jack Walker, who represented Lacy.