Apple sued over evacuation drill incident at Florida Mall

Another day, another lawsuit. Apple is being used over an evacuation drill at the Apple retail store in Florida Mall that caused panic in August 2016, reports The Orlando Sentinel.

Kissimmee resident Leslie Ortiz accuses the store of negligence that resulted in her being trampled and injured the evacuation. The lawsuit, filed in federal court by lawyers at Morgan & Morgan, says Ortiz was in the Apple store when an alarm sounded. When she attempted to get up byes she was purportedly trampled by other customers, and suffered bodily injuries. The suit seeks a jury trial and unspecified money award in excess of $15,000, alleging that Apple failed to have adequate staff on hand and failed to warn customers.

A spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office told The Sentinel that the realistic drill was held as part of the inspection of a new restaurant opening that day. It included officials popping six balloons to mimic the sound of gunfire. Authorities said the injuries consisted of “mostly falls, scrapes and twisted knees.”

The Florida Mall is a regional, enclosed shopping mall located in Orlando. With 1,849,000 square feet of gross leasable area and over 250 retailers, it’s one of the largest single-story malls in the U.S.

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