Seattle Restaurant Injury Attorneys
Seattle has always been known for its large and vibrant restaurant industry. Each day millions of residents and tourists flock to the city’s eateries to enjoy a good meal with friends and family. Unfortunately, there are times when a pleasant lunch or dinner ends abruptly due to a serious accident.
While you may not think of a restaurant as an especially dangerous place, like any heavily trafficked public building there are a host of potential safety hazards that can lead to injury. For example, many people are hurt in slip and fall accidents or develop a serious illness due to food poisoning. If you find yourself in this situation and need legal advice from a qualified lawyer, the Emerald Law Group is here to help.
How the Negligence of Restaurant Staff Can Injure Customers
Like any owner who opens their building to the public, a restaurant owner has a certain legal duty of care to their patrons and other invited guests. While the restaurant is not an absolute guarantor of their customers’ safety, the ownership and management must keep the premises in reasonably safe condition. This means taking steps to identify and correct any potential hazards that could foreseeably lead to an injury.
Here are some common scenarios where a restaurant’s negligence can lead to injury and provide grounds for a personal injury claim in Washington:
- The staff fails to clean up spilled liquid in the restaurant’s hallways, leading a customer to slip and fall.
- The owner fails to keep the entrances and exits to the restaurant free of hazards, such as not clearing ice or snow following a storm, and a customer slips and falls.
- The management fails to provide proper lighting in the restaurant’s parking lot, and a customer is injured due to either accident or even criminal activity.
- The kitchen staff does not properly handle or cook a customer’s food, leading to food poisoning.
- The bartender continues to serve a clearly intoxicated patron, who goes to injure themselves or someone else after leaving the premises.
- An employee of the restaurant physically assaults a customer without provocation.
If you can prove that a restaurant was negligent, and that its negligence caused you a demonstrable injury, you can seek monetary damages in court. Such damages include your out-of-pocket losses, including your current and future medical bills and lost wages due to time missed from work. You can also seek non-economic damages to cover intangible losses such as your ongoing pain and suffering or emotional distress arising from an accident or illness.
Contact Emerald Law Group Today
Restaurant owners–and their insurance companies–are often reluctant to accept legal responsibility for an accident involving a customer. That is why you must be prepared to fight for your rights in court. A qualified Seattle restaurant injury lawyer can make sure you are well-prepared for that fight. If you need to speak with an attorney, contact the Emerald Law Group today to schedule an initial consultation.
