Dorothy Baker (Hart Winterfeld) was a dynamic and fully independent 89 year old, who drove a car and resides in my Côte Saint-Luc District 2. On January 11, 2025, what should have been her weekly outing to Walmart on Jean Talon turned into a medical emergency. She slipped and fell a mere 30 to 40 feet from the entrance next to her vehicle in the first handicapped spot.
According to her grandson Jonathan Labow- Hart, the accident occurred at 12:15 pm. She was exposed in an open parking lot for over an hour despite an immediate call made to 911. Due to the area surrounding the fall, an individual went into the store to alert Walmart staff asking them to barricade the area to avoid her being hit by a car. Staff said they could not comply nor did they come out to assess the situation. A good Samaritan by the name of Milan retrieved a sleeping bag from inside the store to cover Dorothy. Milan then called her grandsons who quickly arrived at the scene. Her grandson Simon Fauteux held the sleeping bag over her head to shield her from the falling snow, however she was still laying on top of the snow covered ground as she could not be moved. After numerous calls to Urgences Santé, paramedics finally arrived at about 1:05 pm. Paramedics from the Fire Department showed up a few minutes earlier to mobilize her and bring her inside. If it was any colder she could have died from hypothermia
“Not once did any Walmart personnel come to check on Dorothy or ask if they needed assistance,” said daughter-in-law Malka Labow. People parked their cars near Dorothy and opened their doors to create some kind of barrier to prevent further injuries.”
Dorothy was operated on at the Jewish General Hospital a little more than 24 hours after being admitted. Due to the severity of her shattered hip, full hip replacement was not possible; they did however insert two metal rods and multiple posts to stabilize her hip so that she would be able to walk again.
Family members went to Walmart the following day to speak with Store Manager Jonathan Price. Although he was not on duty Saturday, he was apprised of the situation. According to Mr. Price, who was quite apologetic and sincere, “She (the on duty manager) did not receive full details and underestimated as a result of the urgency of the situation,” his text message read. “Their actions could’ve potentially impacted the well-being of your mother and (they should be) re-trained as needed on how to deal with these kinds of emergencies. I would like to make sure we are doing our best to take care of our community and I’m sorry that this wasn’t the case yesterday.”
Jonathan Price then escalated this to his Regional Manager. He did in fact call Michael Hart and said that he would get back to him within the next 24 to 48 hours, which he did not.
On February 5, the insurance company representing Walmart told Michael Hart that they were reviewing the case and within the next 24 hours would be sending him a Demand Letter to complete. As of yet he has not received it.
Soon after surgery Dorothy was moved to the Catherine Booth Hospital in NDG for an extended rehabilitation. Ten days later she was rushed back to the JGH and diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism. A few days after her return to Catherine Booth she came down with COVID-19.
What the family is seeking is accountability from Walmart. This ordeal has taken a toll on both Dorothy and her family. Her life will be greatly impacted as a result of this. “We thought Walmart was all about community and customer appreciation,” a family statement reads.
I reached out to Mr. Price. He forwarded me to Steeve Azoulay, senior director of public affairs for Walmart. “We’re aware of the incident and are very sorry to hear a customer was injured in the parking lot,” he responded. “While we’ve been in touch with their family, given that this is an ongoing matter and out of respect for all parties involved, we cannot provide further comment. “