McDonald’s where man fell ‘inspected every 15 minutes’

McDonald’s claimed a premises where a man is suing for a slip on a wet floor was inspected every 15 minutes and it was put to the plaintiff the six pints he had earlier in the night might have had something to do with the fall.

The case brought by Jonathan Dineen of 28 Fairview, South Douglas Rd, Cork, against McDonald’s, Winthop St, Cork, will go into its third day on Monday before Mr Justice Henry Abbott at the High Court in Cork.

Seán Lynch, counsel for the fast food outlet, said: “Someone is going around cleaning every 15 minutes but not filling out a log. In addition another man is going around every half hour checking the premises.

“Are my clients to have someone at every table every hour of the day to cater for some spillage? You could not ask a restaurant to do that.”

Mr Lynch suggested the plaintiff’s consulting engineer, Brian Twomey, was advocating a council of perfection when he suggested that McDonald’s would fill out a cleaning log every 15 minutes. Mr Twomey said all it would take would be a simple ticking of a box.

The plaintiff testified he had about six pints of beer on St Stephen’s night, 2010, and at about 3.30am on December 27, he

went up the steps to the bathroom at McDonald’s.

He said as he returned he slipped,straightened himself up, and skidded a second time, falling on his left hand and fracturing his arm.