BELLEVILLE -- Fazoli's is being sued after a patron allegedly tripped while attempting to step over a concrete barrier.
Patricia Ford filed the lawsuit against Fazoli's Restaurants in St. Clair County Circuit Court.
“Because this is an on-going legal matter stemming from an individual’s fall in our parking lot, we are unable to comment at this time,” Fazoli's spokesperson Ladd Biro told the Record.
According to the complaint, Ford alleges she tripped over a concrete parking stop that sat between a restaurant walkway and the parking lot, requiring patrons to navigate the obstacle.
The suit alleges that the Fazoli’s Restaurant in Fairview Heights was negligent and careless when it installed a concrete parking stop in a common walkway between the parking lot and restaurant.
The plaintiff alleges Fazoli’s should have known the location of the concrete parking stop could have caused potential injury to customers.
She also claims the restaurant was remiss in its failure to remove the concrete stop, referring to it as a “trip hazard,” and did not formulate an effective plan for the extraction of the parking stop.
“Upon information and belief, prior to July 20, 2017, Fazoli’s customers had reported to Fazoli’s employees…that they had tripped over the aforementioned concrete parking stop,” the suit states.
Ford further claims that since the restaurant was aware of the danger of the parking stop, it should have known it was a tripping hazard.
Ford claims that as a result of her fall, she suffered a traumatic brain injury, bilateral subdural hematomas and a stroke.
“She has incurred numerous medical bills and other health-related bills as a result of medical treatment for her injuries and is expected to incur the same in the future,” the suit states.
Ford, who is represented by Cates Mahoney LLC in Swansea, is seeking compensation in excess of $50,000 for damages, plus costs.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 19-L-513