Whether you go to a restaurant for a business lunch, romantic dinner, drink with a friend, or family brunch, you are at risk. During your visit to the restaurant, you could trip or slip and fall and suffer significant injuries.
Restaurant Slip and Fall Risks
Patrons in a restaurant can encounter a variety of slip and fall hazards, including:
- Spilled food or drink. Whether it's water or a craft cocktail, a hamburger or a Porterhouse steak, any food or beverage that falls to the floor can create slippery conditions.
- Wet floors from shoes or cleaning. Floors also get wet when people come in with rain, snow, ice, or sleet on their shoes or even when restaurant workers clean the floors.
- Steps or flooring changes that are hard to see. Different areas of the restaurant may have different types of floors, and the transition between them can be difficult to see. Flooring changes or steps can create trip hazards.
- Ripped carpeting or broken tiles. Tiles break, and carpeting gets worn. Either of these things can result in a restaurant patron tripping and falling.
- Broken handrails. Handrails next to stairs or in bathrooms must be safe and up to code to provide customers with the necessary support to avoid falls.
- Cracks, potholes, or other sidewalk and parking lot hazards. The restaurant may be responsible for unsafe sidewalk or parking lot conditions on its property. While the restaurant can't control all outside falls, the restaurant may control pavement and cement maintenance, lighting, and other safety features.
- Bad lighting. Low lighting can make any of the risks described above more difficult to see and make falls more likely.
If you find yourself on the ground because of one of these conditions, or for any other reason, you might have sustained a serious injury.
Possible Injuries in Restaurant Slip and Fall Accidents
After a slip or trip and fall at a Kansas City area restaurant, you may suffer injuries, such as:
- Broken bones
- Head or brain injuries
- Back or spinal cord injuries
- Internal injuries
- Lacerations and bruising
- Sprains and strains
You may experience pain or other symptoms immediately after your fall, or your symptoms may take some time to appear. A doctor can provide you with a diagnosis and treatment plan so that you have the peace of mind of knowing that you are doing everything possible to recover from your fall.
What to do After a Restaurant Slip and Fall
You may be overwhelmed after a fall injury. Your immediate plans, and potentially your long-term plans, changed when you get hurt. However, you can stay in control over what happens next by:
- Taking pictures. You, or someone who is with you, should take pictures of the area where you fell. If you can get photos from different angles and of everything in the area, it could help determine why you fell before the restaurant has a chance to clean up the spill or fix the broken item.
- Talking to witnesses. Get the names and contact information of anyone who saw you fall. They may be essential witnesses in any legal action that you take to recover damages.
- Reporting the accident to the restaurant manager. Tell the manager that you fell, but do not provide any guesses about what caused your fall.
- Getting medical help. See a doctor as soon as possible to get your injuries diagnosed and treated. Prompt medical treatment also helps prove that your injuries were caused by your fall.
- Calling a lawyer. An attorney will ensure that all of your legal rights are protected and take the stress of handling a legal claim off of your shoulders.
Our experienced Kansas City slip and fall lawyers want you to get the fair recovery you deserve. We will thoroughly investigate your case, develop a strategic legal plan, and fight for your compensation, which may include past and future:
- Healthcare costs
- Lost income
- Pain and suffering
- Out-of-pocket expenses
Learn more about protecting your recovery by contacting our fall injury attorneys today for a free, no-obligation consultation.
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