Restaurant & Food Service Accidents
Relentless New York City Work Injury Attorneys on Your Side
From Chinatown to Harlem to Flushing and all points in between, there is no shortage of restaurants and places to eat in New York City. There is also no shortage of food service injuries. The food service industry poses certain risks to all types of workers — chefs, waiters, bakers, bartenders, servers, baristas and dishwashers, to name a few.
If you have been injured on the job, you need a restaurant accident attorney who knows how the legal system works. That’s why you need to contact an established New York workers’ comp lawyer at our law firm right away. The legal team at Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano LLP is ready to fight to get you the money you need to make a full recovery. Whether it’s negotiating a restaurant injury settlement or fighting for your compensation in hearings and appeals, you can count on our New York work injury lawyers to do everything we can for you.
Common hazards in the food service industry
Restaurant accidents can happen in an instant: in the dining room, behind the grill, in the walk-in refrigerator, at the bar, or in the storage room or the bathroom. Hazards of the food service industry include:
- Hot ovens, grills, and stovetops
- Sharp objects like knives and broken glass
- Slippery floors
- Loose cords
- Power slicers
- Heavy lifting
- Standing for long periods of time
- Deep fryers
- Food processors
- Cluttered aisles
- Kitchen fires
Food service injuries
In the hectic environment of a New York restaurant or bar, accidents can happen fast. Some of the most common restaurant injuries that food service workers get are:
- Sprains to the ankle, wrist or knee.
- Cuts and punctures from cutlery, food processors and other sharp objects.
- Burns from ovens, hot plates and kitchen fires.
- Eye injuries, especially among cooks who work with boiling liquids and sizzling pans.
- Fractures (broken bones) from slip, trip and falls.
- Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) such as muscle pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, thoracic outlet syndrome, neck tension and nerve pain.
Legal protections for injured food service workers
New York has many legal protections for people injured while working in restaurants and in the food service industry in general. Some of those protections are safety standards intended to prevent injuries from happening in the first place. But food service workers who are injured on the job also have protection through the workers’ compensation system.
If you were hurt on the job, you can file a workers’ compensation claim, regardless of fault. You are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits on your first day of work. You may also be able to file a third-party claim against a negligent party other than your employer, such as a property owner or equipment manufacturer. An experienced work injury attorney can investigate the accident and explain all of your legal options.
Let us put our experience to work for you
Whether you are a host, kitchen manager, chef, line cook, server, runner, barback, dishwasher or other food service employee, if you have been injured at work, you are due compensation for your injuries. It doesn’t matter if you’re a full-time, part-time, seasonal or temporary worker; if you’re an employee hurt on the job, even on your first day of work, you get workers’ compensation.
However, filing a claim for workers’ compensation in New York can be a complicated process at a time when you are trying to heal and get your life back on track. There is a lot at stake. Let Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano LLP put our legal skills to use for you.
Our New York restaurant accident lawyers offer free case evaluations. Call us, toll-free, at (866) 840-6709 or contact us online to schedule a free legal review of your case. Every discussion is confidential and there is no obligation, just answers about your legal rights and options.