What Happens If I Step on Fries and Fall? Miami Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer Explains
It sounds almost unbelievable until it happens: you are walking through a restaurant, food court, grocery store, or fast-food establishment when your foot lands on a handful of french fries scattered across the floor. Your shoe slides, you lose your balance, and suddenly you are on the ground with pain in your back, neck, hip, or another part of your body.
For someone injured under these circumstances, a Miami Slip and Fall accident lawyer can investigate whether the business failed to maintain reasonably safe premises.
Can a Restaurant Be Liable for Fries on the Floor?
French fries, spilled drinks, grease, sauces, dropped food, and similar substances can create dangerous walking conditions. Under Florida Statute § 768.0755, when someone slips and falls on a transitory foreign substance inside a business establishment, the injured person generally must prove that the business had actual or constructive knowledge of the dangerous condition and should have taken action to correct it.
For example, evidence may show that employees knew fries were scattered across the floor but failed to clean them up. Constructive knowledge may also be established through evidence indicating the hazard existed long enough that employees exercising ordinary care should have discovered it, or that the condition occurred regularly enough to make it foreseeable.
That means simply proving that fries were on the floor may not automatically establish negligence. Evidence surrounding how long the fries were there, where employees were positioned, cleaning procedures, surveillance footage, witness statements, and prior incidents can become extremely important.
Injuries After Slipping on Food
A sudden fall can force the body backward, sideways, or directly onto a hard tile floor. Possible slip and fall injuries include:
- Lower-back injuries and herniated discs
- Neck and spinal injuries
- Hip injuries
- Knee and ankle injuries
- Wrist, hand, or shoulder injuries
- Head injuries and concussions
- Bruising, sprains, and fractures
If you fall, photograph the fries and surrounding area before employees clean the floor, report the accident to management, request that an incident report be prepared, obtain witness information, and seek appropriate medical attention for your injuries.
Miami Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer
Slip and fall cases involving restaurants and other businesses can depend heavily on evidence that may disappear quickly. Surveillance video can be overwritten, food can be cleaned up, and witnesses can become difficult to locate.
If you were injured after stepping on fries, spilled food, grease, or another dangerous condition, CONTACT The Perazzo Law Firm to discuss your situation with a Miami Slip and Fall accident lawyer.
Free initial consultation. No upfront attorney fees to Clients
Call 888-PERAZZO today.
Slip and Fall Personal Injury Accident Attorney advertising. Every case is different, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.