When you visit your favorite restaurant, you expect prompt service and a delicious meal. Unfortunately, the carelessness of restaurant staff can sometimes 
result in serious slip and fall accidents.
If you’ve been injured after slipping and falling at a local restaurant, we encourage you to contact our experienced personal injury attorneys as soon as possible. You’re entitled to compensation for accident-related expenses such as medical care, lost wages, and property damage, as well as your pain and suffering.
Causes of Restaurant Slip and Fall Accidents
The potential causes of restaurant slip and fall accidents can include:
- Spilled drinks or food
- Spilled grease or cooking oil
- Wet floors due to snow, rain, sleet, or hail
- Failure to use “Wet Floor” signs after mopping
- Damaged or uneven floors
- Tripping hazards placed in customer walkways
- Poor lighting
- Poorly maintained sidewalks and parking lots
Fast food restaurants tend to have more slip and fall accidents because they are designed to serve large numbers of customers in a short time, and staff members are often too busy to properly clean up safety hazards. However, accidents can still occur at sit-down restaurants when the employees fail to take the appropriate safety precautions.
Regardless of the type of dining establishment, a restaurant can be held legally liable for a customer’s slip and fall injuries if they knew or should have known about a hazard and did not take reasonable steps to either fix the problem or warn customers of the potential danger.
Common Types of Injuries
Slip and fall injuries can vary widely in severity. Some people may recover from their injuries fairly quickly, while others may suffer chronic pain or need ongoing medical care due to the accident. Common injuries that can occur from slip and fall accidents at restaurants include:
- Cuts
- Burns
- Sprained ankles or wrists
- Slipped or herniated discs in the back
- Broken bones
- Dislocated shoulder
- Knee damage
- Nerve damage
- Head injuries
Older people tend to suffer more serious injuries in restaurant slip and fall accidents due to age-related mobility impairments and pre-existing conditions. However, the eggshell plaintiff rule states that an at-fault party is liable for injuries that occur even if the victim’s medical condition made them more susceptible to serious injury.
Steps to Take After a Slip and Fall Accident
The process of protecting your right to compensation begins immediately after the accident. If you slip and fall while dining at an Arizona restaurant, here’s what you should do:
- Report the accident. Inform the manager on duty that you have fallen on the premises.
- If possible, document the scene. If you were dining with another person, ask them to photograph the area where you fell from a variety of angles and to write down contact information for people who witnessed the accident.
- Seek medical attention. If you’re not in severe pain, you might be tempted to wait to see if your injuries heal on their own. This is a mistake. You should always be evaluated by a healthcare professional. You need to establish a paper trail linking your condition to the accident, and it’s possible that your injuries are more severe than they first appear.
- Follow all treatment recommendations. If you miss follow-up appointments or ignore activity restrictions, the restaurant will claim you’re exaggerating the seriousness of your injuries.
- Stay off social media. Don’t talk about the accident on social media. Even seemingly innocent statements can be misinterpreted.
- Save your clothes. The clothes you were wearing can be valuable evidence in your case—especially if the defense tries to claim you were hurt because you wore inappropriate shoes or that you tripped because you were wearing pants or a skirt that was too long.
Griffen & Stevens Will Help You Protect Your Right to Compensation
When you’ve been injured in a restaurant slip and fall accident, you need someone on your side who will fight for your right to fair compensation. The personal injury attorneys of Griffen & Stevens Law Firm are committed to representing your interests throughout the settlement process. Contact us today for a free consultation.
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