One dead after incident in Charlotte stone merchandise store

A Stone Basyx store in a southwest Charlotte business park was closed on a recent afternoon after a tragic accident happened inside. According to reports, the store sells large slabs of stones, such a granite, marble and quartz, each weighing hundreds of pounds. Employing 14 people and located on Westinghouse Boulevard in Charlotte, it is one of four locations.

On Friday, September 20, around 3:30 p.m. a customer was in the store shopping when a slab allegedly fell on top of him. Although Charlotte medics and firefighters rushed to the scene and attempted life saving measures, the man succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. Homicide detectives as well as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are conducting separate investigations into the incident.

It was discovered that this is not the first time Stone Basyx has been investigated by OSHA. Public records show that in 2017 the company was determined to have some serious safety violations for which they were fined $44,000. They were again fined in 2018 for other violations involving incorrect material handling, this time for $3,000.

Premises liability deems that a customer has the right to enter a business with the reasonable expectation of being safe. Therefore, this customer had no reason to believe that once he entered the store he would never walk out. He rightfully entered believing that proper safety measures had been taken to prevent hazards or harm. Pending the outcome of investigations, the family could have both a premises liability lawsuit as well as a wrongful death claim, both of which may result in substantial compensation and damages.