Broward man wins nearly $8 million from Burger King after he fell in bathroom at Hollywood restaurant

A man who slipped and fell in the bathroom of a Hollywood Burger King won a $7.8 million judgment against the fast-food giant last week.

Richard Tulecki, 48, slipped and fell in the bathroom of the restaurant at 2631 S. State Road 7 in Hollywood on July 28, 2019, and argued that the restaurant either caused the conditions that led to his fall or should have known about it and addressed it before his accident.

According to his lawsuit, filed by attorneys H Ross Zelnick and Miguel A. Amador of Ginnis & Krathen, P.A, Tulecki suffered lower back injuries resulting in surgery complicated by a postoperative perforated colon.

At trial, the restaurant chain argued that the plaintiff never established that the restaurant’s management actually knew there was a problem in the bathroom that needed to be fixed. A doctor who testified at trial that the plaintiff’s medical complications were caused by his fall had testified earlier, in a deposition, that he could not link the injuries with the fall.

The jury found Burger King 100% liable and awarded Tulecki nearly $700,000 for past medical expenses, nearly $1 million for past pain and suffering, $2.77 million for future pain and suffering, and $3 million for loss of future earning capacity.

Burger King is challenging the verdict and requesting a new trial.

Earlier this month, a family successfully sued Burger King rival McDonald’s, arguing that a scalding hot Chicken McNugget caused second-degree burns on their 4-year-old autistic daughter. A separate jury will be empaneled later this summer to determine how much McDonald’s will have to pay the family.

Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457. Follow him on Twitter @rolmeda.