While nationwide fast casual brands like Panera Bread sometimes operate their own restaurants at the corporate level, it is generally more common for establishments like this to be franchised out to local owners. Unfortunately, not every owner of a Panera Bread franchise can be trusted to keep their store in reasonably safe condition for visitors, and sometimes even corporate-operated locations can fail to meet the requirements imposed on them by premises liability law.
If you were recently hurt in a Panera Bread slip and fall accident in New Port Richey caused by a hazard you were not properly warned about in advance, you should make contacting our team one of your top priorities. You may be able to seek comprehensive compensation from the owner or manager of the stores where your accident happened, and a skilled slip and fall lawyer’s help can make a world of difference when it comes to getting the best possible case result.
While property owners in the Sunshine State are not automatically liable for every accidental injury which occurs on their land, they do owe different “duties of care” to property visitors depending on how the visitor is classified under premises liability law. If you are a customer at a fast casual restaurant in New Port Richey like Panera Bread and are hurt in a slip and fall accident, you are legally considered an “invitee” because your presence financially benefits the property owner, as opposed to a “licensee” who is there solely for their personal or financial benefit.
The “duty of care” which Florida landowners owe to invitees requires them to provide advance warning of all hazards on their land which they have direct or constructive knowledge of, and to either restrict access to or remove those hazards reasonably quickly after they first appear. In this context, someone has “constructive knowledge” of a hazard if they reasonably should have direct knowledge of it because either they or a subordinate conducts regular inspections of their land.
Importantly, landowners and businesses responsible for managing retail property are not the only people who could be found at fault for a slip and fall inside a New Port Richey Panera Bread. If you yourself hold some of the blame for your own slip and fall because you wore shoes with no tread, ran where you should have walked, or did something else negligent prior to your accident, you may be assigned a percentage of “comparative fault” by a court overseeing your slip and fall lawsuit.
In accordance with Florida Statutes §768.81, any person assigned a percentage of comparative fault for their own injuries is subject to having their final damage award’s value reduced by that same percentage. This can be a major obstacle to effective civil recovery after this type of accident, and it is one which a skilled legal professional can provide invaluable help with navigating around.
You should never be in harm’s way when you visit any kind of restaurant, including fast casual chains like Panera Bread. Nevertheless, Panera Bread slip and fall accidents in New Port Richey do still occur from time to time, and they can very often be traced directly back to negligent property management by an individual franchisee or sometimes even the brand’s corporate owners.
Either way, a slip and fall lawyer from LMD Injury Lawyers can help you understand your legal options and then proactively pursue compensation for your losses. Learn more by calling today.
727-849-5353