Пенсилвани муж улс дахь Waffle House ресторан дахь жорлонгийн суултуурын гэмтлийн улмаас 63 настай үйлчлүүлэгч хүнд бэртэл авсан хэмээн АНУ-ын холбооны шүүхэд нэхэмжлэл гаргасан байна.
Иллинойс мужийн оршин суугч Жон Брок 2025 оны дөрөвдүгээр сарын 10-нд тус ресторанаар үйлчлүүлэх үеэрээ буруу суурилуулсан суултуур дээр суух гэж байгаад унаж, нуруу болон хөлний хүнд гэмтэл авчээ. Нэхэмжлэлд дурдсанаар, суултуур нь зохих ёсоор бэхлэгдээгүй байсан нь үйлчлүүлэгчийн эрүүл мэндэд ноцтой хохирол учруулж, түүнийг ажил хөдөлмөр эрхлэх боломжгүй болгосон байна. Өмгөөлөгчдийн зүгээс Жон Брокыг ажил үүргээ гүйцэтгэх боломжгүй болж, өдөр тутмын амьдралдаа хүндрэлтэй тулгарч байгааг онцлоод, тус сүлжээ рестораныг аюулгүй байдлын стандартыг хангаагүй хэмээн буруутгажээ.
Waffle House сүлжээний зүгээс шүүхэд ирүүлсэн хариу тайлбартаа уг нэхэмжлэлийг үгүйсгэж, суултуурын гэмтэл нь илэрхий зүйл байсан тул үйлчлүүлэгч өөрөө болгоомжгүй хандсан байж болзошгүй гэж мэдэгдсэн байна. Мөн нэхэмжлэгчийн нэхэмжилж буй хохирлын хэмжээг хэт өндөр гэж үзэж байгаагаа илэрхийлжээ.
АНУ-д олон нийтийн хоолны газруудад тохиолдсон жорлонтой холбоотой осол гэмтлийн талаарх маргаан өмнө нь ч гарч байсан. Тухайлбал, сүүлийн жилүүдэд Outback Steakhouse болон Dunkin’ Donuts сүлжээ ресторануудад гарсан ижил төстэй хэргүүд шүүхээр шийдвэрлэгдэж байсан туршлага бий. Жон Брокын хувьд эмчилгээний зардал, ажлын чадвараа алдсаны нөхөн төлбөр болон сэтгэл санааны хохирлыг нэхэмжилж байгаа юм.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
A 63-year-old diner claims he was grievously injured after being thrown off an “improperly installed” toilet seat at a Waffle House restaurant in Pennsylvania, according to a federal lawsuit obtained by The Independent.
In a 17-page complaint, Illinois resident John Brock says he was at Waffle House #1394 near Harrisburg when he went to use the restroom and encountered a “dangerous, hazardous, defective and/or otherwise unsafe condition consisting of an improperly installed toilet seat.”
“Upon information and belief, and unbeknownst to [Brock], the subject toilet seat was not bolted and/or improperly bolted to the toilet,” the complaint states. “As [Brock] was attempting to use the toilet, the toilet seat tipped over causing him to fall and sustain injuries and damages as further outlined below.”
The April 10, 2025 mishap left Brock with a laundry list of issues, some of which “may be permanent in nature,” the complaint contends:
a. Low back injury with bilateral SI (sacroiliac) joint involvement;
b. Low back pain and tenderness;
c. Bilateral SI joint pain and tenderness;
d. Lumbar radiculopathy;
e. Bilateral leg pain;
f. Numbness and tingling in the legs;
g. Limited range of motion in the low back;
h. Limited range of motion in the bilateral SI joints;
i. Limited range of motion in the legs;
j. Bilateral leg weakness;
k. Difficulty ambulating;
l. Right hand and wrist pain and swelling;
m. Reduced grip strength and function in the right hand;
n. Headaches;
o. Bruises, contusions and other injuries in and about nerves, muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, tissues and vessels of the body; and
p. Nervousness, emotional tension, anxiety and depression
Over the past 14 months, Brock has endured “great pain, suffering, inconvenience, embarrassment, [and] mental anguish” due to the incident, and has laid out large sums for “extensive medical, rehabilitative and therapeutic treatments,” the complaint continues, adding that his “general health, strength and vitality have been impaired,” and that he “has the potential for future surgical intervention.”
Further, the complaint goes on, Brock’s earning capacity has been diminished, and he is no longer able to “enjoy various pleasures of life that he previously enjoyed.”
“Mr. Brock is a hardworking individual whose life has been upended by the injuries he sustained, which forced him to retire early from his job as a truck driver,” attorney John Morgan, founder of law firm Morgan & Morgan, and attorney Erin Bock, told The Independent in an email. “He now faces challenges carrying out everyday tasks. We are committed to making our client whole again and holding Waffle House accountable for improving the safety at their premises.”
Waffle House and the attorney defending the chain against Brock’s claims did not respond to requests for comment.
Waffle House was negligent in allowing the toilet seat to become “damaged, dilapidated, loose, improperly mounted, unmounted and/or otherwise dangerous to people,” such as Brock, who would normally be expected to use the restroom while on the premises, according to the complaint, which was initially filed in the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas before being removed to Harrisburg federal court on July 9.
It says Brock “did not see the dangerous, hazardous, defective and/or otherwise unsafe condition prior to his fall,” and alleges that no signage was present to warn customers about it. The complaint describes Waffle House as having “failed to take any steps to eliminate the condition,” or to “reduce its danger” to those using the toilet, and argues the chain “had specific, prior knowledge of the condition which caused [Brock] to fall,” through “no fault of his own.”
However, in an answer to Brock’s allegations filed while the case was still in state court, Waffle House said he bears a share of the responsibility.
“To the extent the seat was not properly bolted, the same would be open and obvious… to any user of said toilet seat,” the filing contended, arguing, “Plaintiff would only have tipped and/or fell over if he was improperly seated on the toilet or otherwise conducting himself in a manner not suited for an ordinary toilet seat.”
Brock’s listed injuries and damages were also “unreasonable and excessive,” according to Waffle House.
Toilet-related accidents have been at the center of previous lawsuits filed by unlucky restroom users.
Last year, Florida resident Michael Green sued Outback Steakhouse over “severe bodily injuries” he allegedly suffered when a toilet seat at the Aussie-themed chain’s Ocala location “suddenly shattered” beneath him, sending him and the toilet itself to the ground. Green’s lawsuit claimed he suffered “significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function and/or permanent and significant scarring” as a result of his injuries.
In 2005, a Colorado man sued Home Depot after he claimed to have gotten stuck to a toilet seat – apparently unaware that someone had smeared superglue on it – when he sat down to use the store’s restroom while out shopping. In his lawsuit, Bob Dougherty, 57, said he yelled for help but employees ignored his pleas because they “believed it to be a hoax.” Paramedics were forced to unbolt the seat from the toilet, and Dougherty passed out as they wheeled him to the ambulance, according to reports.
Nearly two decades later, a Dunkin’ Donuts customer sued after he said a toilet at a location in Winter Park, Florida, exploded while he was sitting on it, leaving him “covered with human feces and urine.” The January 6, 2022, episode caused Paul Kerouac “significant emotional injury,” and “mental anguish,” which required extensive “mental health care and counseling” as a result, his suit claimed.
Waffle House was also recently hauled into court by a customer who claims a security guard at a Nashville location allegedly maced, tased, and zip-tied him amid a hashbrown order gone wrong.
Brock, who was unable to be reached on Monday for comment, is now seeking compensatory damages, pain and suffering damages, and “all available economic and non-economic damages available” from Waffle House, Inc., plus interest, lawyers’ fees, and court costs, to be determined by a jury.
