Apple Store Car Crash Sees Death, Injuries And Lawsuits

Lawsuits have been filed after a bad traffic accident at an Apple Store in a Massachusetts shopping centre last month.

On 21 November, an SUV drove through an Apple store in Hingham, Massachusetts – killing one person and leaving at least 19 others injured.

CNN reported that two of the injured people have begun legal action against various development companies that failed to protect people by not installing crash barriers near the store.

Apple Store crash

“For just a few dollars, a couple of barriers could’ve easily prevented this entire tragedy,” Doug Sheff, a lawyer for the two victims, was qupted by CNN as saying at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

Sheff showed pictures of barriers at different Apple store locations and other areas in the Hingham shopping complex, arguing they should have been at the Hingham Apple store as well.

He said barriers had been placed in front of the store following the incident.

The two lawsuits were filed by victims who sustained injuries in the incident and their families.

One of the victims, who was working at Apple, suffered a traumatic brain injury, the complaint alleges. The other victim sustained rib fractures and other injuries which will require surgery, according to the other complaint.

The lawsuits accuse several property development entities of negligence, claiming they “failed to reasonably protect occupants” by not installing barricades near the store.

Apple issued a statement last week after the crash happened, but did not comment on the resulting lawsuits.

“Our hearts go out to our team members and customers who were injured and all of those who were affected by this terrible incident,” the iPhone maker reportedly said last week.

The lawsuits also accuse 65 year old Bradley Rein, the alleged driver, of negligence when he “carelessly, recklessly, and negligently operated the SUV.”

According to CNN, Rein has pleaded not guilty to charges of reckless homicide by a motor vehicle and reckless operation of a motor vehicle, according to the Plymouth District Attorney’s Office.

He is being held on $100,000 bail and his next court appearance is scheduled for 22 December.

CNN previously reported that Rein told police “his right foot became stuck on the accelerator and the vehicle accelerated,” prosecutors said.

US prosecutors said Rein’s sobriety test registered at zero.

Hostage drama

This is not the first time that an Apple store has been at the centre of an unusual incident.

In February 2022 a gunman held people hostage at an Apple Store in Amsterdam (the Netherlands).

The hostage drama ended when the gunman chased his last remaining hostage, who had run out of the Apple Store, into the streets.

A quick thinking policeman ran the gunman over using a police car, before he could hurt the fleeing hostage.

The gunman later died of his injuries.