McDonald’s, like any fast food restaurant, bustles with customers at all hours of the day, which means every store presents an opportunity for a customer to slip and fall. If you slipped and fell at a fast food restaurant, you should let the store know of the fall, have your injuries looked at by a medical professional and collect evidence to support your claim.
Common Types of Slip and Fall Injuries at a Fast Food Restaurant
If you have ever slipped on ice or a watery surface, you know the first reaction is to place your arms out to break the fall. Although landing on your hands cushions the blow to other parts of the body, the strong impact can cause a sprained wrist.
If the slip and fall at McDonald’s, or any other fast food restaurant, was strong enough, you might have suffered a broken wrist that takes weeks to heal. Healing from a broken wrist prevents you from working, as well as completing ordinary daily tasks.
Slip and falls also place a heavy physical burden on the knees. As you fall to the ground, your knees twist in an unnatural way. The result is at least pulled knee ligaments and at worst, torn ligaments that put you on crutches for a couple of months.
Taking Care of Business after a Slip and Fall
Like any fast food restaurant, McDonald’s is busy every hour of the day, it should be easy to find at least one witness that saw the slip and fall. Make sure you feel up to talking with a fellow customer because you might have suffered an injury that can lead to the delivery of emergency healthcare services.
You also need to explain to an employee what happened. Fast food restaurant’s staffs each shift with at least one supervisor to make operational decisions. Even if you slipped and fell on ice after the restaurant closed its doors to the public for service, you should contact a manager early the next day to tell your side of the story.
The most important thing to remember is to take care of yourself. A slip and fall can cause injuries that require immediate medical attention. If you are unable to speak to the store manager or any witnesses, ask the person that came into the restaurant with you to take care of collecting evidence.
Evidence that Supports Your Claim
Speaking with one or more witnesses provides you with supporting evidence. The primary objective of collecting evidence is to take photographs and videos of the scene of the incident.
If you slipped by the beverage station, you want to capture the spilled liquid on your cellphone. Make sure every photo and video is time-stamped to match the time stamp from the restaurant’s security footage. Any physical evidence that you collect goes a long way towards bolstering your claim for just compensation.
Filing a Claim
Recovering from a slip and fall can cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in medical bills. Without income from work, you can find yourself struggling financially. Contact a state-licensed personal injury lawyer to see if you have a strong enough case to file a claim in civil court.
Your lawyer may be able to avoid a protracted battle in court by negotiating a settlement that pays for all your medical bills. Most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. Fill out the Free Case Evaluation on this page!
*Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against any party and/or McDonald's, or any other party, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
