Category Archives: Injuries

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: New York Restaurant Sued By Woman Hit By Car Outside Building; Neglected To Install “Curbs And Bollards”

“…the (plaintiff’s attorney) said Wendy’s only installed pedestrian safety blocks after the crash in December. He said if the restaurant had curb stops and bollards in place at the time of the incident, the tragedy would Hospitality Industry Injury Lawsuitshave been prevented…”

Theresa DiMilia and her 11-year-old daughter Samantha walked out of the Wendy’s restaurant on December 4 in Williston Park when suddenly a car being driven by an elderly woman smashed into them and pinned them against the wall. “The pain was so unbearable. I remember my daughter Samantha asking me if she was dead — ‘Am I alive mommy, am I alive?’” Theresa DiMilia told 1010 WINS’ Mona Rivera.

Their legs were crushed. Samantha DiMilia was treated and released after suffering a severely fractured leg. Now, two months later, Samantha is walking again, but Theresa DiMilia is still in a wheelchair after having both legs fractured in the incident.

The lawsuit names the driver of the vehicle who hit the DiMilias — 75-year-old Margaret Hogarty of Mineola — as well as Wendy’s International Inc. and Westbury Properties, LLC, which owns the property where the restaurant is located, as defendants.

For more:  http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/02/11/wendys-named-as-defendant-in-multimillion-suit-filed-by-injured-mother-daughter/

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Filed under Claims, Guest Issues, Injuries, Insurance, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: Wisconsin Hotel Guest Files “Personal Injury Lawsuit” After Being Hit By Rider On Hotel’s Waterslide

“…(plaintiff) was at the hotel waterpark and went down the “Cyclone” waterslide. When he stood up in the pool below the slide’s trough, the complaint states, he was hit by another rider. The collision caused him to fall Hospitality Industry Injury Lawsuitsbackward and sideways, striking his head and neck on the slide’s trough…”

A Waukesha man has filed suit against Country Springs Hotel, saying it was negligent when it allowed a rider to travel down a waterslide after him, resulting in a collision. Robert and Dale Flowers, a married couple residing in Avalon Square Senior Housing in downtown Waukesha, filed a personal injury lawsuit Wednesday in Waukesha County Circuit Court against Country Springs Hotel. The couple is seeking unspecified damages from the incident that occurred nearly three years ago, according to the complaint.

The lawsuit claims Country Springs Hotel did not have a video feed available to employees to tell them when a rider cleared the slide. Instead, they have one employee at the top of the waterslide telling riders when to go and another at the bottom of the slide.

Robert Flowers received “pain, suffering and disability, hospital expense, medical expense, loss of earnings and earning capacity,” according to the lawsuit. His wife, Dale, “sustained the loss of services, society and companionship of her husband,” according to the complaint.

For more:  http://waukesha.patch.com/articles/waterslide-collision-at-country-springs-hotel-results-in-personal-injury-lawsuit

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Filed under Claims, Guest Issues, Injuries, Insurance, Labor Issues, Liability, Maintenance, Training

Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: California Hotel Explosion And Fire Caused By “Illicit Drug-Making Operation” In Guest Room; Walls “Blown Out” And Property Evacuated

“…all guests were evacuated and it took firefighters about 35 minutes to fully contain the flames which had reached into the third story and the attic of the hotel…Because of the drug-making substances that had caused Hotel Explosionthe hotel explosion, a hazardous-materials crew and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration were called in to investigate the illegal drug-making operation…”

An apparent drug-making operation in a hotel room caused a hotel explosion in San Diego on Wednesday shortly after 11 a.m. The explosion which happened in one of the hotel rooms blew out several windows and three walls, reported San Diego’s 10News on Jan. 30, 2013.

“An explosion apparently caused by an illicit drug-making process blew out walls and windows at a Midway-area hotel Wednesday and set part of it ablaze, leaving a young man gravely burned and two other people less severely hurt, authorities reported.”

The hotel explosion occurred in a hotel guest room on the second floor at the three-story Heritage Inn on Channel Way, just south of San Diego’s Interstate 8.

The man who was gravely injured during the hotel explosion had apparently lit a cigarette while using a butane spray can to try to extract hashish oil from marijuana. The flame from his lighter ignited the chemical fumes and caused them to detonate powerfully. The man who is in his early 20s suffered life-threatening burns.

Hash oil is made by packing finely ground stems and leaves of marijuana plants in a pipe and pouring butane through it. The liquid typically is then cooked on a stove to separate the butane. Hash oil averages about 15 percent THC, the chief intoxicant in marijuana. A drop or two is about as potent as a marijuana cigarette.

For more:  http://www.examiner.com/article/illegal-drug-making-hotel-room-causes-hotel-explosion-san-diego

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Filed under Crime, Fire, Guest Issues, Injuries, Insurance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: Texas Hotel Guest Files “Negligence Lawsuit” After Marble Tile In Elevator Falls On Child Causing “Serious Injuries”

“…as (plaintiff)  stepped off the hotel elevator, a large marble tile fell from a wall and onto the child’s head, Hospitality Industry Lawsuitchest and leg.  His bodily injuries were serious, permanent and disabling…”

An Oklahoma woman claims her son was injured at a Galveston hotel and is seeking damages in a suit against the owner. Shawna Martin filed a lawsuit against Neel Shah Hospitality Inc. on Jan. 25 in Galveston County District Court.

According to the suit, Martin and her 8-year-old son were on vacation in Galveston on Jan. 14, 2007, and the boy was injured at the at the Comfort Inn & Suites in the 6300 block of Seawall Boulevard.

“Allowing a loose tile which was inadequately secured to the wall….. posed an unreasonable risk of harm and the defendant had constructive knowledge of that risk,” the original petition says.

The defendant is blamed for:

  • Failing to properly and adequately secure the mirror to the wall;
  • Failing to perform an adequate inspection to determine whether there was a hazard present;
  • Failing to repair said mirror; and
  • Failing to warn.

For more:  http://setexasrecord.com/news/281053-woman-sues-galveston-hotel-after-marble-tile-strikes-son

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Filed under Guest Issues, Injuries, Insurance, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership

Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: Alabama Hotel Sued By Guest Trapped In Elevator; “Sustained Injuries During Escape From Broken Machinery”

“…(plaintiff) and several others became entrapped in the hotel’s elevator…(she claimed) the hotel didn’t respond to the emergency call which resulted in two male guests in the elevator prying the door open and Hotel Elevator Accidentcreating an opening to escape…hotel administrators pulled King by the legs through the opening resulting in her falling and suffering physical injuries…”

An Alabama resident is suing a local Marriott-owned hotel after allegedly being trapped in an elevator and sustaining injuries during an escape from the broken machinery. Maureen A. King filed a lawsuit against Marriott Hotel Services, Inc., Renaissance Hotel Management Company, LLC, Renaissance Hotel Operating Company, Sodexo, Inc. and John Doe in the Orleans Parish Central District Court.

The defendant is accused of failing to respond to the emergency elevator alarm, pulling petitioner from the elevator and causing her to fall and failing to seek emergency assistance.

An unspecified amount is sought for past medical expenses, future medical expenses, past lost wages, future lost wages, pain and suffering and mental anguish.

For more:  http://louisianarecord.com/news/248516-renaissance-pere-marquette-hotel-blamed-for-injuries-sustained-by-guest-stuck-in-elevator

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Filed under Injuries, Insurance, Labor Issues, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: New York Restaurant Sued By Guest Who Choked On Fish Bone; Throat Surgery To Repair Perforated Trachea

“…She was brought to Lenox Hill Hospital, where she required surgery and a four day stay. Doctors found a Hospitality Industry Lawsuitmicro perforation of her trachea and she was unable to speak for two weeks after being discharged…”

An Upper East Side restaurant that specializes in serving fish is now choking on a lawsuit because of a tiny little bone that lodged in the throat of one of its customers. Claire Amiano, a Michael Kors specialist at Saks, is suing Fulton NYC, a fish restaurant on East 75th Street, saying that she needed emergency throat surgery in August 2012 because a filet of fish she ordered for dinner was not entirely deboned as promised.

Papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court say when Amiano started to choke, employees called 911 and offered her olive oil and bread to dislodge the bone.

Fulton is owned by Joseph Gurrera who founded the small local chain of Citarella stores which offer high end groceries. He also created Tutto Italiano, an Italian specialty shop.

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Filed under Guest Issues, Health, Injuries, Insurance, Liability, Management And Ownership

P3 Hospitality Industry Risk Report: “ADA Pool Lift Update” Presented By Loss Control Specialist Marco Johnson Of Petra Risk Solutions (Video)

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/57192729 w=500&h=281]

The January 31, 2013 ADA pool lift compliance deadline is fast approaching. Petra Risk Solutions’ Loss Control Specialist,  Marco Johnson, offers a P3 Hospitality Risk Update – ‘ADA Pool Lift Update’ – to help clear up some of the confusion about the requirements of this new ADA law.

P3 (Petra Plus Process) is the Risk Management Division of Petra Risk Solutions – America’s largest independent insurance brokerage devoted exclusively to the hospitality marketplace.

For more information on Petra and P3 visit petrarisksolutions.com or call 800.466.8951.

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Filed under Guest Issues, Injuries, Insurance, Legislation, Liability, Maintenance, Pool And Spa, Risk Management, Training

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Illinois Hotel And Restaurant Sued For “Negligence” After Guest Attacked By Man With Knife In Restroom; “Allowed Unauthorized Access To Property”

“…The lawsuit claims the hotel and restaurant at 909 N. Michigan Avenue were negligent when they allowed Restaurant Crime“unauthorized persons to gain access to their hotel, restaurant and restroom facilities” and didn’t perform proper security checks…”

An Oak Brook doctor who was stabbed in the neck and face during an attempted holdup at a Gold Coast restaurant in November is suing his alleged attacker along with the restaurant and hotel that houses it. Mir Shah says he was violently attacked and stabbed several times by Jimmy Harris in the bathroom of the Westin’s The Grill on the Alley on Nov. 17, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in Cook County Circuit Court. The restaurant’s bartender was also injured when he chased Harris, who cut him with a knife, police said.

Harris, who also goes by the name Jimmie Harris, had been freed from prison eight days prior to the attack. He has at least 60 arrests and nine felony convictions dating to the late 1970s, according to Chicago police, state and court records.

Shah, an oncologist, was out to dinner with his family that night after attending the Lights Festival along the Magnificent Mile. While in the bathroom, Harris approached Shah and announced a robbery before stabbing the doctor in the right side of his neck and face, prosecutors said. Shah is now disfigured and disabled, according to the suit.

For more:  http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-doctor-stabbed-after-mag-mile-lights-festival-sues-suspect-20130107,0,4498714.story

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Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: New York Restaurant Sued For "Negligence" By Woman Injured By "Dog Leashed To Unanchored Chair"; Seeks $2 Million

“…(plainfiff) was injured earlier this year at the chain’s 86th and Lexington location when a dog “attached” to Hospitality Industry Lawsuitone of the restaurant’s chairs knocked her down…Shake Shack “was negligent in its failure to protect [Cirlin] from the anticipated dangers of allowing dogs to be attached by leashes to its flimsy and unanchored chairs…”

A Manhattan woman claims the Upper East Side outlet of the famed burger and hot-dog chain was a little too friendly to canine clients and their owners. Cindy Cirlin says she was injured when she was knocked down by a dog that was leashed to one of the East 86th Street restaurant’s chairs, according to a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit filed last week.

Cirlin wants $2 million in damages. Shake Shack did not respond to a request for comment.

For more:  http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/shaken_up_at_shack_3bh5OC48Z5luWG0IG1hzyK?utm_medium=rss&utm_content=Manhattan

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Filed under Claims, Guest Issues, Injuries, Insurance, Liability, Management And Ownership

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Family Of Man Who Died At "After-Hours Party" Files "Wrongful Death" Lawsuit Against Washington Restaurant; Victim Was "Over-Served" Alcohol, Did Not Receive Assistance

“…The injury occurred during an after-hours party hosted by the establishment’s general manager, who allegedly gave Lee liquor and marijuana…(the lawsuit alleges) that the restaurant broke the law by hosting an Alcohol Drink Responsiblyafter-hours party and put Patrick Lee in danger by over-serving him liquor, then failing to summon assistance when he was injured…”

The father of a man who died after allegedly falling and hitting his head during a party at a Puyallup restaurant has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the business. Attorneys for David Lee filed the lawsuit on his behalf this month in Pierce County Superior Court.

Lee is the father of Patrick Lee and the representative of the younger man’s estate. He seeks unspecified damages from Mis Tres Amigos, a family-owned Mexican restaurant with locations in Puyallup and Lakewood.

Patrick Lee, 22, died in November 2010 allegedly after becoming extremely intoxicated at the restaurant, the lawsuit states.

Instead of summoning help for Lee, the general manager and one of Lee’s friends “left him in a booth and continued to party,” the lawsuit alleges.

Lee was found the next morning unresponsive and having difficulty breathing. The general manager and Lee’s friend took him to Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup. He eventually was transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he was declared brain dead and removed from life support.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/12/25/2414300/man-sues-puyallup-eatery-says.html#storylink=cpy

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Filed under Claims, Guest Issues, Injuries, Insurance, Labor Issues, Management And Ownership