Slip and Fall Accident in Dunkin’ Donuts

Who doesn’t love a good donut? When it comes to sweet treats, there aren’t many better. In all different shapes and sizes, hundreds of toppings and fillings, there’s a donut for every mood and this is just one reason why Dunkin’ Donuts is so successful.

Known for all sorts of baked goods and coffee, there are 8,000 restaurants in the United States as well as 3,000 stores across three dozen other countries. Due to their success, Dunkin’ Donuts has partnered with various airports, convenience stores, gas stations, and other locations.

As well as a duty to provide tasty donuts, the company also has a responsibility to keep all visitors safe. As part of the employee training manual, anybody who spots a hazard should take action (whether this is clearing it themselves or reporting it to a superior). In addition to picking up merchandise and clearing spillages, customers should be made aware of the hazard if there’s a risk of injury; an example would be a wet floor sign.

In the past, we’ve seen the following occur in Dunkin’ Donuts;

• Trips over merchandise and dropped food
• Slips over water that has been brought in from poor weather outside
• Trips from poor lighting both inside and outside
• Slips on cleaning solution or beverages from a machine
• Trips over a loose mat on the floor

For one customer, they went into Dunkin’ Donuts at lunchtime, as hundreds of thousands of people do across the country and ended up needing surgery on their knees. Based in Fort Lauderdale, she was in a slip and fall accident, hired a reliable personal injury lawyer, and won $40,000.

Claiming Against Dunkin’ Donuts for Injury

Often, one of the most common questions we receive is how injury claiming works and what’s covered by compensation. When you work with us, we’ll talk you through this and it all depends on the extent of the injuries, medical bills, the pain and suffering experienced, and whether or not you’ve been able to work since the injury.

For the case we mentioned previously, the woman slipped on water at a Dunkin’ Donuts based in a Florida Airport. Since she was a tax accountant, she claimed that her pain and suffering was made worse by the fact that the accident took place before the busiest period in the calendar. If you have a similar situation with work, you may be entitled to more compensation. Ultimately, it depends on your unique circumstances; on a basic level, compensation should cover medical bills and lost income.

Proving Dunkin' Donuts Negligence

After a restaurant slip and fall accident, the outcome of any resulting claim or case comes down to negligence. As we’ve already discovered, Dunkin’ Donuts has a duty of care to all customers who enter the establishment. However, there are some accidents for which they cannot be held accountable.

Firstly, you cannot trespass onto the property and expect to get something when you suffer an injury. If the Dunkin’ Donuts is closed and you’re on the premises illegally, you won’t be covered by the law and this is important to remember.

Secondly, Dunkin’ Donuts cannot be expected to clear away hazards as soon as they occur. If there is spillage and then a slip all in the same sequence, the company hasn’t had enough time to address the situation. Could Dunkin’ Donuts have foreseen a slip within three seconds of another customer spilling a drink? Definitely not. If the time between spillage and slip is ten minutes, this is another matter.

Thirdly, as a slip and fall personal injury lawyer, we also come across cases where the customer has to take a portion of the responsibility. Although this doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get no compensation, the amount you receive will be reduced. In most states, the law has what we call ‘comparative fault’; if the customer is half liable for the accident, they will only receive half of the awarded compensation.

Seek Professional Help Today

Regardless of the facts of your case, one thing is for certain; Dunkin’ Donuts, their attorney, and their insurance company will want to pay as little as possible. After suffering a restaurant slip and fall and seeing a complete change to your financial situation, we don’t think is fair. Therefore, we’re ready to help.

When you reach out to The Injury Firm, it all starts with a consultation. As we talk through your case and assess the details, we’ll decide whether or not your claim is likely to be successful. If yes, and if you choose us to represent you, we’ll protect your legal rights and start chasing the compensation you deserve.

Feel free to get in touch with one of our brilliant team members today; we would love to take the first step towards compensation while you recover from the slip and fall injuries.

How to Prepare a Personal Injury Suit Against Dunkin’ Donuts

In the US, we have some fantastic brands when it comes to food and drink. If you decided to go out for a meal with family and friends tonight, you would be spoilt for choice and this is one of the reasons we love calling our great nation ‘home’.

While some focus on main meals, others go for coffees and donuts; that’s right, we’re talking about Dunkin’ Donuts. Around the world, this is a brand that boasts 11,000 coffee shops. These days, they all tend to have the same winning formula; tables, chairs, restroom, ordering station, and kitchen.

Despite the simplicity of these outlets, slip and fall accidents do occur and it has the potential to change a life almost instantly. After suffering a broken bone, dislocation, strain, or sprain, you may not be responsible for the costs…and this is what we’re going to discover today.

Hazards at Dunkin’ Donuts

During our time helping the community with restaurant slip and fall accidents, we’ve seen lots of different injuries. A few common examples include slips, trips, and falls as a result of;

• Spilled water, tea, coffee, or any other liquid
• Excess water or soap in the restrooms
• Cleaning solution
• Condensation from the drinks’ coolers
• Loose carpet or mats
• Damaged paving in the parking lot
• Fallen displays
• Damaged sinks or toilets

Since we don’t expect to get injured while in a Dunkin’ Donuts, the risk is even higher. If we were prepared and actively looking for hazards, perhaps it wouldn’t be such a problem, but we don’t expect to be wheeled away from Dunkin’ Donuts with a broken bone after popping in for some lunch.

Claiming for Compensation

If you want to pursue a personal injury claim, we should first note that there’s a statute of limitations of two years. If your accident took place over two years ago, you won’t be able to claim against Dunkin’ Donuts.

Assuming the statute of limitations hasn’t passed, the key to attaining compensation is proving negligence. When you start working with a personal injury lawyer, this is probably a word you’ll hear often because it decides who is at fault for your injury and whether you’re entitled to payments from Dunkin’ Donuts.

When making a personal injury claim, the evidence is essential. Starting with a written description of the event and what happened leading up to the event, you should then include any additional information (the more information, the better for the claim). For example, pictures of your injury and the scene itself could be important.

If you have details from eyewitnesses, get them to write a statement (you could even get in touch with Dunkin’ Donuts employees). For those who didn’t get the contact information of witnesses, make sure you save all bills and documentation from visits to the doctor, tests, prescriptions, and hospital records. When asking for a certain amount of money, this will go some way to justifying it.

With compensation, there’s an opportunity to recuperate the money you would have earned while working too. By providing W-2s and any other document which shows the money you’ve lost while taking time off work, this will be included in your claim.

As mentioned previously, it’s best to include as much information as possible. If a certain document gets disregarded, that’s fine, but it’s better than wishing you had sent something else after it’s too late.

The Deposition Process

Once a claim has been filed and received by the company, their first job will be to investigate the incident. As part of this process, you may be asked to attend a ‘deposition’ and this is where they ask questions regarding the accident. During this appointment, you should never admit to any blame or take responsibility even slightly. Instead, just answer the questions as you did in your statement.

Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer

While reading this, you might have been worried about the effort required considering you’re trying to recover from an injury and look after your family at the same time. With this in mind, we can help at The Injury Firm. Even if you don’t choose us, we highly recommend considering an attorney with experience in this field.

When working with a professional, they ensure that your claim uses legal language, offers all the appropriate documents, and that your deposition doesn’t hinder the claim. In case you’re worried about money, you should know that attorneys cannot take money from you until the case has been resolved. Therefore, you’ll get a free consultation to talk through your case and discover exactly how their legal team will assist you during this stressful time.

At The Injury Firm, we believe that experience is key. Sadly, we’ve seen many people choose to go through the process alone only to make a big mistake and only receive a small percentage of what they actually deserve in compensation. Likewise, we’ve heard stories of victims slipping up in the deposition and losing a claim.

We know what works, what doesn’t, and how to pursue a restaurant slip and fall claim. If ever you have any questions about proceedings, we’re always a phone call away. If you want us to take full control, this is equally fine. While you concentrate on your health, we’ll gather the evidence, compile the claim, and get it sent off.

Eventually, Dunkin’ Donuts and their legal team will offer compensation. If we believe this amount is lower than what you would get in court, we’ll offer advice and start working on a lawsuit. As long as the case has all the elements it needs and the claim itself is justifiable, you shouldn’t settle for anything less.

Why not get in touch with The Injury Firm today to get started? Once you’re through to a team member, you can ask questions regarding your slip and fall accident and work with a trained personal injury lawyer!