A Facebook Live post showing a Gainesville Louisiana Popeyes branch went viral on August 20th, 2019 after an injury was reported on camera. A man trying to order a chicken sandwich was told that part of the restaurant was shut down because an employee named Tara was injured and had to be taken to the hospital. It is not yet known if the employee or the franchise has hired a lawyer.
The video did not indicate how the injury occurred, but it did show that the man was waiting for about 30 minutes before he was told the restaurant had been shut down. The Facebook user reported that “the Popeyes here in Gainesville, Florida just shut down because the manager got overwhelmed with the sandwich orders and collapsed in some grease.”
The tweets following the incident also speculated that the employee collapsed due to the flood of chicken sandwich orders. In fact, an employee from the restaurant’s branch in Starke, Florida, had to come in and help manage the orders. Many customers who, like the Facebook user, had been waiting for more than 30 minutes, were given food on the house.
Popeyes spokespersons, upon being contacted, did not offer immediate comment. This incident occurred only one day after the Popeyes Twitter account tweeted at competitor Chick-fil-A. The tweet caused a light-hearted social media feud among various popular fast-food chains in the US over who had the best chicken sandwich.
Many fast-food chains, including Shake Shack, Bojangles, and Wendy’s, participated in what social media users were referring to as the Chicken Wars. The original tweet had apparently created a nationwide stir, with many people wanting to try Popeye’s chicken sandwich as a result.
While the injury did cause a ruckus at the Gainesville Louisiana Popeyes, no other Chicken Wars-related hospitalizations were reported. Popeyes’ popularity has increased significantly since then.
Suffering injuries on the job may make employees eligible for worker’s compensation benefits in Florida. Worker’s compensation insurance provides benefits to injured workers, including compensation for medical care and absences due to health issues.
After an employee suffers an injury at work, like in this incident at the Gainesville Louisiana Popeyes, the employer must report the injury (regardless of how minor) to their insurance company. Florida work comp law states that this must be done within seven days.
Also, under the Florida Statute Chapter 440, the employee has about two years from the date of the accident to report the incident and file a claim to worker’s compensation insurance. The worker must file a petition with the Division of Administrative Hearings in order to be eligible for compensation.
Other similar incidents have occurred in Florida, including an incident at Flack’s Painting and Waterproofing at Pompano Beach, where the company was fined after a worker was injured. That incident was investigated by the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
If you or anyone you know is liable to worker’s compensation insurance or if you have been accused of worker’s compensation fraud, you should hire a lawyer. Contact us today to take the first step towards the best possible legal outcome for you.
Source: 8.29.19 Popeyes Injury