Most dishes at a restaurant need to be served at hot temperatures, which is why these places typically use hot plates when they’re bringing a customer’s order to the table. Aside from plates, restaurants also use pans, earthenware bowls, grills, and other cookware that is brought right to the table. For examples, Mexican dishes like fajitas are served in sizzling cast-iron pans, and half the fun of going to a Korean BBQ joint is grilling your meat right at the table.
The problem, of course, is the possibility of burn injuries from a hot plate, which can happen very easily when servers fail to take the proper precautions. This may be as simple as announcing that the plate is hot and making sure the customer takes their hands off the table before their order is placed in front of them. If the restaurant is a buffet or some other type of self-service eatery, staff must ensure that plate warmers are functioning correctly and that the plates are not getting overheated.
As someone that sustained a burn injury, you may be asking yourself, “What are my rights if I was burned by a hot plate at a restaurant?” Our lawyers are here to advise you of your legal options and bring you maximum compensation from a personal injury lawsuit against the restaurant. Please reach out to us at your earliest convenience to speak with a burn accident injury attorney.
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Complications from a Burn Injury
Burn injuries due to an extremely hot plate in a restaurant can leave you with a series of health complications, which include:
- Blisters and other open wounds
- Prolonged redness, swelling, pain, and oozing
- Infections, which can cause toxic shock or sepsis
- Damage to the nerves and underlying tissue
- Permanent scars
- Disfigurement
Please don’t wait to see a doctor, as early intervention is the key to minimizing these symptoms. Immediate medical care is especially important if there is significant swelling and blistering, which are indicative of deep burns that may lead to infection and other severe health issues.
Can You Sue if You Were Burned by a Hot Plate at a Restaurant?
Restaurants have a duty of care to the customers they serve, and this includes warning them of hot plates and other items, like stone bowls, cast iron skillets, and barbecue grills. A lot of the injury victims we meet with say:
- I was not warned not to touch the plate as soon as it was put on the table.
- I was burned by a hot plate at a buffet line, and there was no sign warning me that the plates were hot.
- The waiter / waitress didn’t warn me before putting the plate down on my table, which caused me to get burned.
These are classic examples of negligence by employees at a restaurant, and yes, you can sue the business under these circumstances. Of course, there are plenty of other incidents that can cause a hot plate burn injury incident. For instance, if a server is not careful as they navigate around the restaurant, they can burn someone that’s walking past them or sitting at a table. In short, if there were reasonable precautions that the restaurant could have taken to prevent your injuries, you are owed compensation under California’s premises liability laws. Proving a case, however, requires extensive evidence of wrongdoing by the business, which is where we can be of help. To discuss your rights and legal options with a burn injury lawsuit attorney, contact us without delay.
How Much can I Receive from a Burn Injury Claim?
As an injury victim, it’s understandable that you would have questions about the average case value for a burn accident injury case against a restaurant. The value of your case largely depends on the degree of injury and resulting complications, which will cause you to suffer one or more of the following losses:
- Medical expenses
- Lost income (wages and lost work benefits, like PTO)
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Property damage
- Legal fees
These are the economic and non-economic damages that apply to most of the cases that we handle at our law firm. As the amount one can receive in each of these categories varies from person to person, there is no universal dollar amount that applies to every hot plate at a restaurant injury claim. For some clients, $10,000 or less may be a sufficient payment, while others have serious injuries that merit $50,000 to $1 million or more in compensation. Our restaurant injury attorneys can help you determine a fair amount of damages to ask for based on your individual circumstances.
Estimated Timeframe to Settle a Restaurant Injury Case
The majority of burn injury cases at our law firm are negotiated between ourselves and the defendant’s insurance company. How long this process will take is anyone’s guess, but it’s always our goal to reach a settlement with the other side in 6 to 10 months. Some cases are settled much faster – maybe 4 months or less – though these are usually claims with minor injuries. If it turns out that the insurance company is unwilling to negotiate in good faith, we may have to have to take other legal actions, including a lawsuit and possible trial date. Once a lawsuit is filed, a burn injury accident case may be settled within one or two years, and up to several years if your case goes to trial.
Is There a Time Limit to File a Lawsuit?
Yes, all lawsuits are subject to a statute of limitations, which is the amount of time you have to sue a negligent party for monetary damages. With premises liability lawsuits, like being burned by a hot plate at a restaurant, you must file a lawsuit within two years from the accident date. You may have additional time to sue the restaurant based on your personal circumstances, like if you were a minor at the time of the accident. If so, you would have up to two years after turning the age of majority (18 years old) to file a lawsuit against the restaurant. To learn more about the statute of limitations for a hot plate burn injury case, please give us a call at our office.
Lawyers with Experience in Burn Accident Injury Claims
The intensity of a burn injury isn’t just painful in a physical sense. The cost of treatments, time missed from work, the effect on your mental health – these are just some of the problems you may struggle with if you suffered hot plate burns at a restaurant. Our lawyers are here to fight for you and the payment you deserve if negligence by the restaurant caused you harm and suffering.
Our services include free second opinions on existing restaurant accident claims, meaning you can turn to us for advice if you have concerns about your case. Though we will provide you with options based on the issues you are having, what you do with that information is completely up to you. As there is no cost to you for meeting with us, don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like to schedule a free second opinion.
Whether you are starting the legal process or continuing a lawsuit with us, you’re covered under the Zero Fee Guarantee. You pay nothing out of pocket, since we ask for our fees to be included in your settlement award. That means you owe us absolutely nothing in the event we don’t win your case.
Most dishes at a restaurant need to be served at hot temperatures, which is why these places typically use hot plates when they’re bringing a customer’s order to the table. Aside from plates, restaurants also use pans, earthenware bowls, grills, and other cookware that is brought right to the table. For examples, Mexican dishes like fajitas are served in sizzling cast-iron pans, and half the fun of going to a Korean BBQ joint is grilling your meat right at the table.
The problem, of course, is the possibility of burn injuries from a hot plate, which can happen very easily when servers fail to take the proper precautions. This may be as simple as announcing that the plate is hot and making sure the customer takes their hands off the table before their order is placed in front of them. If the restaurant is a buffet or some other type of self-service eatery, staff must ensure that plate warmers are functioning correctly and that the plates are not getting overheated.
As someone that sustained a burn injury, you may be asking yourself, “What are my rights if I was burned by a hot plate at a restaurant?” Our lawyers are here to advise you of your legal options and bring you maximum compensation from a personal injury lawsuit against the restaurant. Please reach out to us at your earliest convenience to speak with a burn accident injury attorney.
Complications from a Burn Injury
Burn injuries due to an extremely hot plate in a restaurant can leave you with a series of health complications, which include:
- Blisters and other open wounds
- Prolonged redness, swelling, pain, and oozing
- Infections, which can cause toxic shock or sepsis
- Damage to the nerves and underlying tissue
- Permanent scars
- Disfigurement
Please don’t wait to see a doctor, as early intervention is the key to minimizing these symptoms. Immediate medical care is especially important if there is significant swelling and blistering, which are indicative of deep burns that may lead to infection and other severe health issues.
Can You Sue if You Were Burned by a Hot Plate at a Restaurant?
Restaurants have a duty of care to the customers they serve, and this includes warning them of hot plates and other items, like stone bowls, cast iron skillets, and barbecue grills. A lot of the injury victims we meet with say:
- I was not warned not to touch the plate as soon as it was put on the table.
- I was burned by a hot plate at a buffet line, and there was no sign warning me that the plates were hot.
- The waiter / waitress didn’t warn me before putting the plate down on my table, which caused me to get burned.
These are classic examples of negligence by employees at a restaurant, and yes, you can sue the business under these circumstances. Of course, there are plenty of other incidents that can cause a hot plate burn injury incident. For instance, if a server is not careful as they navigate around the restaurant, they can burn someone that’s walking past them or sitting at a table. In short, if there were reasonable precautions that the restaurant could have taken to prevent your injuries, you are owed compensation under California’s premises liability laws. Proving a case, however, requires extensive evidence of wrongdoing by the business, which is where we can be of help. To discuss your rights and legal options with a burn injury lawsuit attorney, contact us without delay.
How Much can I Receive from a Burn Injury Claim?
As an injury victim, it’s understandable that you would have questions about the average case value for a burn accident injury case against a restaurant. The value of your case largely depends on the degree of injury and resulting complications, which will cause you to suffer one or more of the following losses:
- Medical expenses
- Lost income (wages and lost work benefits, like PTO)
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Property damage
- Legal fees
These are the economic and non-economic damages that apply to most of the cases that we handle at our law firm. As the amount one can receive in each of these categories varies from person to person, there is no universal dollar amount that applies to every hot plate at a restaurant injury claim. For some clients, $10,000 or less may be a sufficient payment, while others have serious injuries that merit $50,000 to $1 million or more in compensation. Our restaurant injury attorneys can help you determine a fair amount of damages to ask for based on your individual circumstances.
Estimated Timeframe to Settle a Restaurant Injury Case
The majority of burn injury cases at our law firm are negotiated between ourselves and the defendant’s insurance company. How long this process will take is anyone’s guess, but it’s always our goal to reach a settlement with the other side in 6 to 10 months. Some cases are settled much faster – maybe 4 months or less – though these are usually claims with minor injuries. If it turns out that the insurance company is unwilling to negotiate in good faith, we may have to have to take other legal actions, including a lawsuit and possible trial date. Once a lawsuit is filed, a burn injury accident case may be settled within one or two years, and up to several years if your case goes to trial.
Is There a Time Limit to File a Lawsuit?
Yes, all lawsuits are subject to a statute of limitations, which is the amount of time you have to sue a negligent party for monetary damages. With premises liability lawsuits, like being burned by a hot plate at a restaurant, you must file a lawsuit within two years from the accident date. You may have additional time to sue the restaurant based on your personal circumstances, like if you were a minor at the time of the accident. If so, you would have up to two years after turning the age of majority (18 years old) to file a lawsuit against the restaurant. To learn more about the statute of limitations for a hot plate burn injury case, please give us a call at our office.
Lawyers with Experience in Burn Accident Injury Claims
The intensity of a burn injury isn’t just painful in a physical sense. The cost of treatments, time missed from work, the effect on your mental health – these are just some of the problems you may struggle with if you suffered hot plate burns at a restaurant. Our lawyers are here to fight for you and the payment you deserve if negligence by the restaurant caused you harm and suffering.
Our services include free second opinions on existing restaurant accident claims, meaning you can turn to us for advice if you have concerns about your case. Though we will provide you with options based on the issues you are having, what you do with that information is completely up to you. As there is no cost to you for meeting with us, don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like to schedule a free second opinion.
Whether you are starting the legal process or continuing a lawsuit with us, you’re covered under the Zero Fee Guarantee. You pay nothing out of pocket, since we ask for our fees to be included in your settlement award. That means you owe us absolutely nothing in the event we don’t win your case.
Contact Normandie Law Firm today and schedule a free case review if you got burned by a hot plate at a restaurant.Contact Normandie Law Firm today and schedule a free case review if you got burned by a hot plate at a restaurant.
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