Florida woman wins $1.75m settlement after losing leg following pedicure

The 55-year-old mother lost her home because of extensive medical expenses from the amputation

Representative: A nail technician wearing a face shield works on a client’s pedicure (Reuters)

A Florida woman agreed to a $1.75m (£1.3m) settlement with a nail salon after her leg was amputated due to an infection following a pedicure there.

In September 2018, an employee at the Tammy’s Nails 2 salon in Tampa cut Clara Shellman’s foot while giving her a pedicure.

The cut became infected and spread quickly because Ms Shellman had severe peripheral arterial disease, a condition in which narrowed blood vessels reduce blood flow to the limbs.

She was unable to walk and needed help caring for herself because of which she now lives with relatives.

The 55-year-old mother of a minor girl lost her home because of extensive medical expenses from the amputation, Tampa Bay Times reported.

Ms Shellman, however, has now reached a settlement with the nail salon, according to court documents filed on 16 December.

Paul Fulmer, Ms Shellman’s attorney said “she was stunned, shocked, crying and giddy, all at the same time.”

The attorney added that Ms Shellman was surprised the salon agreed to the full settlement amount because of her pre-existing health condition.

“There could have been a very strong argument from the defence with this. We would have been happy with at least half what we received,” Mr Fulmer said.

In the lawsuit filed in May 2020, Ms Shellman claimed the salon worked used dirty tools and equipment that could possibly pose a danger to customers.

The lawsuit added that the salon failed to train its workers properly and maintain the equipment.

The salon, refuting the allegations in an answer to the lawsuit, had blamed Ms Shellman for not immediately take reasonable efforts to “prevent the development of infection.”

It had also denied that the equipment in use was dirty.