Fast Food Employee Claims Supervisor Knew Of Preexisting Injury When Assigning Task

A man has filed a personal injury suit against a fast food chain which employed him and a fellow employee, claiming that existing back problems were aggravated when he was asked by his supervisor to get on his hands and knees to clean a deep fryer.

According to the suit Richard Stubbs filed in Texas’ Jefferson County District Court on May 12, he was told by Lynn Jackson, his supervisor at Sonic Drive In, to clean out a deep fryer on February 22, despite knowing that he suffered from prior back problems.

Stubbs says that he injured his back while cleaning the filter and complained to Jackson. However, she would not allow him to leave work, which he claims further aggravated his back injury.

Stubbs claims that the injury has caused him to experience past and future mental anguish, physical pain and suffering, disability, physical impairment, physical disfigurement, lost enjoyment of life, lost wages, and lost earning capacity and incur medical costs.

The suit says that when the injury occurred, Sonic had no worker’s compensation coverage and is therefore liable for the injuries he sustained.

The suit alleges negligence on the part of Sonic Drive In and Jackson for failure to provide adequate training, failure to provide assistance, failure to properly inspect Stubbs’ work, failure to provide adequate safety equipment, failure to provide a safe workplace, failure to provide an adequate work force, and failure to properly enforce safety regulations.

Stubbs seeks unspecified damages.