Whether for business or pleasure, a date or family time, people like to eat out. In fact, the average American enjoys between 4-5 meals out of the home per week.
These meals are expected to be many things, from a productive lunch meeting with colleagues to a celebratory birthday meal with friends. The expectation is for good food, great drinks, and an overall pleasant experience with the staff.
The majority of the time, your meal out is perfect, but sometimes the unexpected happens, and a small issue turns out to become something much bigger.
An incident during a business lunch
As part of her sales job, our client liked to treat customers to lunch. It was the ideal way to get to know them and slip in a casual sales pitch in a comfortable environment. Because the formula worked so well, our client relied on it pretty often.
At one particular lunch, seated in a standard booth at a well-known chain restaurant, an incident occurred. As a server, carrying a large pot of coffee turned, he struck our client in the head with the coffee pot. Thankfully, she wasn’t burned, so she tried to laugh off the incident and proceed with her business lunch.
Before the meal was over, she noticed her head and neck had begun to hurt.
A growing injury
Although she left the restaurant feeling okay, our client continued to experience pain days later. It was confusing for her. How could something as simple as a bump on the head from a coffee pot cause continual pain?
She went to the doctor’s who assured her it was nothing. The headaches and neck pain were simply the result of muscle strain. All she needed to heal was time.
With this diagnosis from her doctor, our client continued at a normal pace of life. But then, things started to get worse. Her neck, shoulder, and arm began to hurt more. Her entire arm would even become weak and feel cold to the touch. Then, the hair on her arm fell out and her skin started to get patchy.
Something beyond simple muscle strain was happening, but it was hard to figure out what.
Is there a case for personal injury?
Reaching out to Watson Injury Law, the first thing to do for the client was link her injury and the pain she was feeling to the specific incident in the restaurant. One doctor has already said they weren’t connected, but were they right?
Through careful work, and a second opinion, it was discovered that the coffee pot had actually caused an injury to our client’s nervous system. The way her body was trying to deal with this injury resulted in the pain and increasing problems our client continued to experience.
The restaurant chain and insurance company refused compensation for personal injury, citing a vitamin deficiency as the cause of all our client’s symptoms. Without any medical evidence to support this claim, and plenty of medical evidence on our side for our argument, the case was on, and the jury was listening.
A winning outcome for a personal injury lawsuit
Having the facts, and finding the link between the injury and that coffee pot, our client received a six-figure verdict. She’s using the compensation to offset current expenses and loss of income, while additionally providing for her financial future.
By digging into the details of the case, and working hard to find the truth, we at WIL were able to make a positive difference for our client. Since we treat every case based on its specific particulars, we’re able to hunt for the truth while working toward getting you the best possible outcome. Our customized care stands out.
If you’ve been injured in a restaurant, store, or any public business, contact us to schedule a free consultation today. We’ll show you what real care looks like.