I Had An Accident In McDonald’s, Could I Claim Compensation? – Personal Injury Claims Against McDonald’s

How To Claim Compensation For An Injury Or Accident In McDonald’s

McDonald’s is one of the most recognisable brands and fast-food franchises in the world. If you have been injured while eating in a McDonald’s restaurant, or while purchasing a takeaway meal because of an accident which was caused by the negligence of the company or its staff, you may be eligible to make a McDonald’s claim for compensation. If you work, or have worked for McDonald’s and have been injured in a McDonald’s staff accident that was not your fault, you may also be entitled to claim compensation.

If you wish to claim against McDonald’s for injuries, contact Legal Helpline today. One of our advisors will be happy to speak to you in-depth to see if you have legitimate grounds to claim compensation. If we can see that you are eligible to claim, we will provide you with an excellent personal injury solicitor to handle your case. Our panel of No Win, No Fee solicitors has decades of experience handling accident claims, so you’ll know your claim will be in safe hands.

To begin your claim, call us today on 0161 6969 685 or use our online claims form to contact us. You could be owed a large sum of money for your injuries, so don’t delay. Call Legal Helpline to get started in your personal injury claim as soon as possible.

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A Guide To Making A Claim For An Accident In McDonald’s

Accident in McDonald's compensation claims guide

McDonald’s is the world’s largest fast-food chain, by revenue. The restaurant was founded in 1940 by two brothers, Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, USA. The business went through many shapes, first as a restaurant and a hamburger stand, then becoming a franchise. As of 2018, McDonald’s has over 37,855 outlets, operating across 100 countries, serving over 67 million customers a day. According to two 2018 reports, McDonald’s has over 1.7 million employees worldwide, making it the world’s second-largest private employer behind Walmart. In the UK there are approximately 1,300 McDonald’s restaurants, 1,000 of which are franchises. 120,000 people are employed by McDonald’s in the UK.

In this guide, we will explain the circumstances in which you could make an accident claim for your injury in McDonald’s. We will also look at how common accidents in fast food restaurants can happen and what sort of injuries they can cause. We will also provide you with lots of helpful information about how to start an accident claim against McDonald’s. If you believe you are owed compensation for an injury in McDonald’s caused by an accident that was not your fault, trust Legal Helpline to help you

Call us, or contact us using our online claims form, to begin your claims process.

What Accidents In McDonald’s Could You Claim For?

McDonald’s restaurants owe their customers, employees and individuals that may use the business premises, such as a contractor, a duty of care. This means that they are supposed to take precautions and follow regulations to ensure that the health and safety of customers, employees and other people associated with the business are upheld on their premises. 

If a customer, employee, or another person using the premises is injured because of a McDonald’s accident that was due to the business or its staff acting negligently, McDonald’s could be held liable for their injuries. The injured party would, therefore, have the right to claim compensation for the injuries caused by their McDonald’s customer accident or McDonald’s staff accident. Given many McDonald’s restaurants operate as a franchise, your claim may be against the small business that operates the branch of McDonald’s where you were injured, or your claim may be against the central business.

Although a large business like McDonald’s will have a standardised way of conducting health and safety procedures, accidents can and do happen. If you have suffered an injury in McDonald’s due to an accident that was not your fault, you may be owed fast food restaurant compensation. To find a personal injury solicitor to handle your claim, contact Legal Helpline today, for assistance.

What Accidents In McDonald’s Can You Claim For?

We will now look at what types of accidents can happen in McDonald’s, causing a food-related illness or injury. These are some common fast food restaurant accidents:

  • Slips, trips and falls at McDonald’s: Slip and fall accidents can occur if a wet substance, such as a drink or condiment is spilt on the floor and not cleaned up. Slips and falls at McDonald’s can also happen if a floor has been mopped and not signposted to warn customers and staff about the hazard.
  • Trips and falls at McDonald’s: Trip and fall accidents can happen because of hazardous floorings, such as loose floorboards, debris on the floor, or a stray electrical wire.
  • Faulty restaurant seating: A faulty or broken seat can tip backwards, or break apart beneath a customer’s weight, causing them to fall onto the floor.
  • Food-related illnesses: What illnesses does a lack of hygiene cause? Food is supposed to be prepared and stored according to regulations. If McDonald’s food is not prepared properly, this poor hygiene could result in the customer contracting food poisoning. If milk is used which is unpasteurised, this can result in the customer suffering E.coli poisoning, for instance.
  • Car park accidents: McDonald’s are also responsible for the upkeep of their grounds. Patches of dry ice in a car park can cause slip and fall accidents, whilst cracked paving slabs can cause customers to trip.
  • Burn injuries: Customers can suffer from burn injuries if food items, such as McDonald’s apple pies, which contain warm sauce, or a McDonald’s coffee is served at too hot a temperature. Similarly, an employee can suffer a burn to their hands, burn to their face or any other type of burn injury, due to precautions not being taken in a McDonald’s kitchen.
  • Poor sanitation: Not cleaning the restaurant and other poor hygiene practices can cause bacterial infections, which can lead to customers and staff members becoming ill.
  • Poor training and understaffing: Fast food restaurants are busy places where staff often have to rush. Understaffing or poor training in fast food safety might result in the incorrect use of cooking equipment, or poor implementation of health and safety procedures, resulting in an injury at McDonald’s affecting a customer or member of staff.

We will now look at some common fast food restaurant accidents that can happen in McDonald’s in more detail.

Broken Seat, Fixture And Fitting Accidents In McDonald’s

As part of McDonald’s duty of care towards their customers, seating and other furnishings or fixtures that appear to be faulty should be repaired, replaced or removed immediately. Otherwise, customers and staff are put at risk of suffering an accident. Accidents due to broken seats can happen if a customer puts their weight on a faulty chair and the seat tips over or collapses due to their weight. This can cause back injuries such as a slipped disc, or a head injury, amongst other injuries. Other faulty furnishings can include loose handrails in the disabled toilets or on staircases, which can come away in a person’s hands, causing them to fall. Falls down stairs often result in more serious injuries than falls from the same height. A light fixture or beam which has not been properly secured to the ceiling can fall down, striking a customer or employee on the head, which could lead to a fractured skull or life-changing head injuries.

To claim compensation for an injury in McDonald’s, caused by broken seats, furnishings or fixtures, call Legal Helpline today for your free claims consultation.

Burn And Scald Accidents In McDonald’s

If proper fast food safety standards are not upheld, accidents at McDonald’s can happen, resulting in burn injuries or scalds. Both customers at McDonald’s eating in or purchasing a takeaway, or McDonald’s employees can be harmed this way.

Burns And Scalds To Customers

Customers can suffer from burns and scalding injuries if their food is served at too hot a temperature. For example, if their meal is too hot, the customer’s mouth and tongue could be burned. Similarly, if hot coffee is served in a takeaway cup without a protective sleeve, the customer can drop the coffee in pain, spilling the coffee down their front and burning themselves. Many of these injuries will result in minor burns, which may blister and cause pain, but will heal eventually. Other types of burns will result in the person being permanently scarred and suffering other health problems as a result of their injuries.

Burns And Scalds To Employees

Another accident in McDonald’s which can happen, if proper food safety precautions are not upheld, is employees suffering burns and scalds including a burn to the hands or face. McDonald’s kitchens are busy with cooking equipment such as deep fat fryers and large grills, which can cause serious burns if not used correctly. McDonald’s must ensure that their employees are properly trained to use the cooking equipment to avoid accidents.

There was an incident in 2013 where a fast food restaurant in Manchester was fined for violating health and safety rules. The floor had been recently mopped in the kitchen, without signage displayed to warn passers-by about the wet floor. On later inspection, it was found that the floor was already contaminated with cooking oil. A cook walked across the wet floor and slipped. He instinctively tried to hold onto something to break his fall and grabbed the deep fat fryer. The fryer toppled over, covering the cook in boiling oil. He suffered extensive burns to his chest and lower body and needed skin grafts. Manchester City Council fined the restaurant £60,000 and was ordered to pay costs of £16,000. McDonald’s restaurants should take precautions to protect their staff from accidents like these.

Food Hygiene Related Accidents In McDonald’s

What illness does lack of hygiene cause? Food not being stored or prepared in the correct way can result in incidents of food poisoning. Restaurants have to follow food hygiene standards to ensure that food is stored and prepared in a way that prevents food poisoning. In a fast-paced environment like McDonald’s, mistakes can happen, which may lead to food poisoning. Symptoms of food poisoning can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and stomach cramps.

To protect people who suffer from food allergies, food providers are required by law to list any allergenic ingredients that appear in their products, on the menu or the food packaging. Food allergies can be very serious. Some people who suffer from food allergies can experience an anaphylactic shock when they consume food that they are allergic to. An anaphylactic shock can cause a patient to slip into a coma that they may never wake up from, or even die if they do not receive medical treatment on time.

If you have suffered food poisoning, or an allergic reaction because of negligence on the part of McDonald’s, you could be able to claim compensation for your injuries. Call Legal Helpline today, to see if you are eligible to claim for your food hygiene accident in McDonald’s.

Slip And Trip Accidents In McDonald’s

The most common type accident claims we deal with are claims for injuries caused by slip and fall or trip and fall accidents. This is because just a small obstruction on the floor can cause a slip, trip or fall accident. Trip and fall accidents can be caused by broken flooring, for example, if a panel in the floor has cracked, or a floor tile has come loose. Slip and fall accidents at McDonald’s can also happen at McDonald’s if the floor is mopped, left wet and there is no signage to warn customers to avoid the walkway. If food or drink items are spilt onto the floor and not cleared away, this can also result in a slippery floor, which could lead to accidents and injuries.

Staff Slip And Fall Accidents

Of course, McDonald’s staff can also be involved in slip and fall or trip and fall accidents at work. The accident can take place on the restaurant floor, or can also happen in kitchen, storage or breakout areas that only staff have access to.

Injuries that can be caused by trip and fall accidents or slip and fall accidents include sprains, strains, fractured bones or head injuries if the victim hits their head on the floor. Whether it was an accident at work or an accident suffered whilst eating at McDonald’s, call Legal Helpline today to see if you are owed compensation for your injuries.

Fast Food Restaurant Health And Safety

As we have already stated, McDonald’s has a duty of care towards their customers and staff. McDonald’s restaurants are supposed to conduct regular risk assessments to identify hazards and apply control measures to remove or minimise the risk. They should also engage in health and safety best practices, such as providing separate toilet facilities for their disabled customers and making sure entrances and exits are not blocked and are well maintained.

Employee Training

Training that McDonald’s staff can provide to their customers can include training on the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, food hygiene training, food allergy awareness training, fire safety awareness and manual handling training.

Compensation Calculator For An Accident In McDonald’s

If you make a successful compensation claim for an accident in McDonald’s that was not your fault, the compensation package you are awarded may consist of two heads of claim. These are special damages and general damages. Normally, general damages are the larger component of a compensation package and are paid to award you for the pain, suffering and loss of amenity inflicted by your injuries.

You can use our personal injury claims calculator to estimate how much you could be entitled to claim for your injuries in general damages. These figures have been taken from the Judicial College Guidelines, a legal publication used by solicitors and the courts to value claims. They are estimates only. The value of each case is very much dependent upon its unique facts. For a more accurate quote which has been personalised to you, call Legal Helpline today to speak to one of our advisors.

Affected body part / SeverityDescription of the injurySettlement which may be awarded.
Modest ankle injuryThe less serious, minor or undisplaced fractures, sprains, and ligamentous injuries. Up to £12,900
Moderate ankle injurySuch injuries will be lesser than the above category. They may include fractured or broken ankle injuries. They may also include damage to the ligament and cartilage of the ankle.£12,900 - £24,950
Wrist injury (A)The victim of this type of accident could have lost all function in their affected wrist.£44,690 to £56,180
Wrist (B)Wrist injuries which could mean that the victim has a permanent level of disability. There will be some ability to use the wrist.£22,990 to £36,770
Serious foot injurySerious foot or feet injuries may leave the victim with arthritis or may require the victim to need prolonged medical treatment.£23,460 to £36,790
Moderate foot injuryModerate injuries to the foot or feet could present as a displaced fracture of the metatarsals (foot bones).£12,900 to £23,460
Less serious hand injuryLess serious forms of hand injuries could include crush injuries and could have an impaired function in the hand affected.£13,570 to £27,220
Minor Hand, Finger and Thumb InjuriesThis will include fractures which generally have recovered in six months. Also injuries such as scarring and tenderness.Up to £4,461
Moderate (i) neck injuryModerate injuries of the neck may present as fractures of dislocated neck bones. A chronic condition could be presented at this level.£23,460 to £36,120
Moderate (ii) neck injuryWrenching injuries affecting the neck. More serious than the category above and affecting the discs of the back.£12,900 to £23,460

Our personal injury claims calculator excludes any special damages you could claim. Read on to learn about more special damages you could be entitled to claim.

What Could I Claim? Costs, Expenses And Losses

As well as general damages, you may also be awarded special damages if your claim against McDonald’s is successful. Special damages will reimburse you for any financial losses and expenses you have incurred. You can claim back the costs such as medical expenses, care expenses or travel expenses. In the unfortunate event that you became disabled due to your injuries, you can claim for home adaptation and mobility equipment expenses. If you had to take time off work to recover from your injuries, you can claim compensation for any lost income you lost over this time, such as salary payments or benefits.

Why Make Your Fast Food Accident Claim With Us?

If you wish to claim compensation from McDonald’s or another fast food restaurant for injuries that were caused because of negligence on their part, trust Legal Helpline to handle your claim.

How can we help you?

  • Free personal injury claims consultation, with an informed advisor.
  • The services of a knowledgeable solicitor with years of experience handling claims like yours.
  • The option to have your claim handled on a No Win, No Fee basis.
  • A promise that we will fight to win you the maximum amount of compensation that you are owed for your claim.

No Win, No Fee Claims For An Accident In McDonald’s

Many people worry about finding the funds to pay for their personal injury claim. At Legal Helpline, all of our clients have the chance to make a No Win, No Fee claim. With a No Win, No Fee claim, you don’t have to pay any fees upfront or during the claim, and if the case does not succeed, you will not have to pay any of the fees your solicitor has incurred in pursuing your case. Instead, you will only have to pay a fee if you win. Your solicitor’s fee, which forms a small percentage of the compensation awarded, would be deducted at the end of the claim, making it the more affordable option for many of our clients. Call Legal Helpline today, to find out more about the benefits of making a No Win, No Fee claim with us.

Contact Legal Helpline Today

To begin your accident at McDonald’s claim, contact us today to speak to one of our advisors. If we can see that you have legitimate grounds to claim, we will provide you with a knowledgeable lawyer to handle your case who will start working on your claim as soon as possible. Call us on 0161 6969 685 or use our online claims form to reach us, we’re looking forward to hearing from you.

Fast Food Restaurant Accident Resources

Here are more Legal Helpline guides, you may find helpful:

How Much Compensation For An Accident In A Shop Claim – How to claim compensation for retail accidents.

I Had An Accident In A Restaurant, How Do I Claim Compensation? – How to claim compensation for accidents in restaurants.

Hotel Accident Claims – How Much Compensation Can I Claim? – How to seek damages for accidents in hotels.

External Resources

Food Hygiene Ratings For Businesses – Information on business food hygiene ratings.

An HSE Guide To Avoiding Slips And Trips In The Workplace – A guide to avoiding slips and falls at work.

An HSE Guide To Avoiding Slips, Trips And Falls In Fast Food Restaurants – A guide to preventing slips and falls in a restaurant.

 

Guide by HE

Edited by REG