Take our user survey and make your voice heard.
Two women were injured when a wall panel came loose and fell on them in a Toyama Prefecture supermarket on Friday.
According to police, the women were shopping in a supermarket in Takaoka just before noon on Friday when a 6-meter-wide section of wall panel measuring 1.8 meters in height fell from the wall and hit them, TBS reported.
Police say the panel, made from gypsum board on a metallic frame, hit a 74-year-old shopper, breaking her sternum. The woman's granddaughter, 25, sustained a minor injury to her head.
A police spokesperson said an investigation is underway to determine whether or not the supermarket owner can be charged with professional negligence.
© Japan Today
11 Comments
Login to comment
TheDevilsAssistant
Ouch! A 74year old woman having her sternum broken is lucky to be alive.
some14some
Probably an old structure left without maintenance.
Nessie
Interesting that they didn't name the supermarket. I'm sure anyone nearby will have heard, though.
SauloJpn
When it's not the expressway tunnel panels, it's your very supermarket! Scary!
a_treepapa
Old constructions are now easy to break, so we need caution especially near tall buildings. It's scary without cautious check.
wildwest
Great scott! She could have been killed, I'm going to be on the look out for that kind of thing, this could happen any time any where in Japan now that the infustructure is ageing with the population there will be more problems and less people to look after it all.
CrazyJoe
They just went shopping. What a pity!
Monaka
That much gypsum board (a.k.a. drywall) would weigh between ~85 and ~120kg, depending on the thickness (and not including the metal frame).
I don't want to imagine the edge of it hitting her in the sternum...
Disillusioned
If the shop owner is not accountable they wanna track down the monkey that put the wall up.
wanderlust
It's starting to look as if most of Japan's infrastructure needs extensive repairs and maintenance, and the country has no concept of liability or responsibility; all incidents are just regrettable, remedial actions are under consideration, and a stream of apologies flows forth...
sillygirl
It is sad that Japan is actually falling apart due to neglect and hubris.