Dunkin’ Donuts is a favorite spot among many New Yorkers for a quick doughnut, muffin, or cup of coffee. However, you might get more than you bargained for if you have an accident while stopping into one of these chain restaurants.
If you have a slip and fall Dunkin’ Donuts accident in New York City, here’s how to handle the situation and when to call an attorney.
How Slip and Fall Dunkin’ Donuts Accidents Happen
As with any restaurant environment, a lot of things can go wrong inside a Dunkin’ Donuts to cause injuries among customers and employees. For example, a person might trip over spilled food, slip on liquid from a dropped beverage, or fall over a doormat that isn’t properly secured to the floor. It is also common for slips and falls to happen because of inadequate lighting either inside or outside the restaurant or because of rain or snow that causes environmental hazards around the entrances.
These types of accidents can cause injuries ranging from mild to severe, including concussions, broken bones, sprains, bruises, and cuts. Some injuries might be apparent right away, while others may take a while to appear and result in long-term and costly medical bills.
Proving Negligence After a Dunkin’ Donuts Slip and Fall
The Dunkin’ Donuts company and the individual franchise store have a responsibility to keep customers safe and to take action to remove hazards as quickly as possible. To prove a case against Dunkin’ Donuts after a fall in the restaurant, you must be able to show that Dunkin’ Donuts was aware of a hazardous situation, that the management did not fix the hazardous situation in a reasonable amount of time, and that your injuries were a direct result of this negligence.
The staff at a Dunkin’ Donuts cannot be expected to clear away a hazard within seconds after it occurs. But if the spill, obstruction, or other situation that caused your fall sat for quite a few minutes or longer without any staff attention, you may be more able to prove negligence in your case. If you contributed to your own injuries by being distracted, inebriated, or careless, this could reduce the amount of compensation that you are entitled to, however.
Pursuing a Claim Against Dunkin’ Donuts
Some people who have had slip and fall Dunkin’ Donuts accidents have won thousands of dollars in settlements by working with experienced personal injury lawyers to prove their cases. The exact amount of money that you may be entitled to in a settlement is dependent upon how severe your injuries were, the cost of your medical bills, how the restaurant responded to the safety hazard, and if you have been unable to work since being injured.
Yes, Dunkin’ Donuts is a huge, multi-billion-dollar company with thousands of locations around the world. But that doesn’t’ mean that you can’t take them on as an individual of limited means and connections in New York. No company is too big or too powerful to be sued when they were in the wrong and need to be brought to justice.
Get Help with your Dunkin’ Donuts Case
When you have an accident in Dunkin’ Donuts or other large chain establishment, you need an experienced slip-and-fall attorney on your side to navigate the complex process of pursuing a claim. The Law Office of Jeffrey K. Kestenbaum has extensive experience with this type of work and is very capable of winning cases against Dunkin’ Donuts after a customer has been injured.
The statute of limitations after a slip and fall accident in New York is just three years, which means you shouldn’t delay scheduling your free legal consultation for a moment longer. If you or someone you care about has been injured in a Dunkin’ Donuts, call us at 718-237-5586 or contact us online.
