Restaurant staff are trained to inspect glassware not only to ensure that each piece is clean but also to confirm that none are cracked or chipped. If a crack or chip were to be missed, a restaurant patron could arise the glass to his or her mouth and end up getting cut on the lip, tongue, or elsewhere in or around the mouth. Should you find yourself in this surprising position, it's important for you to be calm and take a series of steps that will benefit you if you eventually choose to take legal action. Here are three specific steps to take right away.
Take Photos
As soon as possible after the incident, take photos of several details with your smartphone — or have someone with whom you're dining do so with your phone. The list of photos should include shots of your injury, shots of the glass — which may have some of your blood on it — and wider shots of you in the restaurant. These photos can prove to be pivotal in constructing your case, as the restaurant's attorneys won't have much grounds for suggesting that you sustained the injury elsewhere.
Keep The Evidence
It's also a good idea to keep the glass in question as evidence. An astute staff member may ask to remove it for you, and then get rid of it immediately afterward. When you keep the evidence, you'll have further proof of the cause of your injury. This is especially true if the glass has the restaurant's name and/or logo on it, but even if this isn't the case, your personal injury attorney's investigators will have no trouble proving that the glass was indeed from the restaurant as you claim.
Report The Injury
This isn't a time to get up and leave the restaurant, even if you're embarrassed. It's always a better idea to report the injury to the manager on duty so that he or she is aware of what has happened. This way, the manager may serve as a witness should your case go to court and will be able to testify that you indeed did report the injury immediately after it happened.
You may wish to have a dining companion record you reporting the injury with your smartphone so that the manager cannot later claim that he or she is unaware of the situation. When you present these elements to the attorney who will handle your case, he or she will likely deem that your case is strong.
For more information, contact a company like Kilgore Smith LLC.
