Could Pollo Loco Be Responsible for this Bakersfield Brain Injury?

When should a restaurant begin cleaning up, after or before closing time? For many in the food services field, the answer to that question is after hours, however, a Kern County Pollo Loco did just the opposite. Now, a Bakersfield brain injury victim is claiming that this negligence caused his symptoms. Will a jury agree?

Did Negligence Cause a Bakersfield Brain Injury?

To clean a restaurant grill it usually takes two to three hours, but a lawsuit county in Kern County claims that a local Pollo Loco didn’t account for that time. The restaurant only scheduled employees for an hour after close. This meant all the employees had to finish their closing duties in less than an hour after close. This caused a major problem, according to the lawsuit.

In order to complete the necessary nightly cleaning, members of this Pollo Loco staff would begin the process an hour or two before closing. This can cause a safety hazard for guests because grease can be tracked into the eating area, where guests can slip and fall. This is what allegedly happened to a Bakersfield man back in 2012.

A customer went to the restroom at Pollo Loco, while he was using the facilities, a cook came out to the dining area to wipe down tables. As the cook wiped tables, he seemingly tracked water and grease from cleaning the grill into the sitting area. When the customer exited the restroom, he slipped and fell. That fall resulted in the tearing of tendons in knee and a brain bleed after the victim’s head collided with the ground. He now claims to suffer symptoms as a result of the head injury.

The lawsuit that was later filed claimed that the victim slipped in grease that should not have been tracked into the dining area while the restaurant was open to customers. A private investigator hired by the victim in this case confirmed that the practice was continuing, even after the lawsuit had been filed. The company that owns Pollo Loco claimed that the victim’s symptoms were due to a preexisting condition, but a jury didn’t buy the defense.

A Kern County jury awarded $16.2 million to the man who slipped and fell. That money will reportedly go toward the care and nursing this victim will need for the rest of his life.

This case was brought to you by the Bay Area personal injury attorneys at Mary Alexander and Associates, P.C.—we look out for the people who are injured through no fault of their own.