This case takes place in Pennsylvania and involves a man who suffered extensive injuries after getting hit by a car. The plaintiff was an employee of an employee of a large fast food chain, who performed maintenance activities on the drive-thru ordering systems found at many restaurants. On this occasion, the plaintiff and his co-worker were servicing a drive-thru window at the defendant’s facility. A car was approaching the drive-thru lane and drove right into the plaintiff. The plaintiff suffered several broken limbs and extensive injuries as a result of the accident. It is alleged that the parking lot, specifically the drive-thru lanes were not designed properly. There were no speed bumps or signs to prevent vehicles from approaching at high speeds.
Question(s) For Expert Witness
1. Do you have experience designing fast food parking lots? Please explain.
2. Are you familiar with the safety markers that should be including to prevent accidents from occurring?
3. Have you worked on similar cases in the past?
Expert Witness Response E-009084
This case is right in my area of expertise and I am glad to assist. I am familiar with the safety requirements of the parking lots and parking lot facilities. Many drive-thru window systems are located within the resturant building. It's likely that had the access panel been located within the building this incident could have been avoided. In my career I have performed, the planning, design and monitored the construction of shopping centers that included fast food restaurants and back. The location of the bank facilities are typically specified on the architectural drawings for the restaurant then included in the design plans by the engineer. I have designed hundreds of parking lots and have reviewed a number of parking lot safety cases. It seems like this accident should have been avoided if the drive-thru lane had been designed safely.
About the author
Joseph O'Neill
Joe has extensive experience in online journalism and technical writing across a range of legal topics, including personal injury, meidcal malpractice, mass torts, consumer litigation, commercial litigation, and more. Joe spent close to six years working at Expert Institute, finishing up his role here as Director of Marketing. He has considerable knowledge across an array of legal topics pertaining to expert witnesses. Currently, Joe servces as Owner and Demand Generation Consultant at LightSail Consulting.
