A customer who claims he was injured by an exploding toilet at a Dunkin' store in central Florida has filed a negligence lawsuit against the coffee chain.

A customer has filed a negligence lawsuit against Dunkin’, claiming he was injured by an exploding toilet at one of the coffee chain’s locations in central Florida.

Paul Kerouac is seeking more than $100,000 in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in state court in Orlando, claiming he suffered “severe and long term injuries” following the explosion of a toilet in the men’s room of a Dunkin’ location in Winter Park, Florida, a year ago.

After the explosion left Kerouac covered in human feces, urine and debris, he walked out of the men’s room seeking help from workers and the store’s manager, according to the lawsuit. An employee told him that they were aware of the “problem with the toilet” since there had been previous incidents, the lawsuit says, without diving into further details about the explosion.

  • conciselyverbose@kbin.social
    34·
    10 months ago

    A. How the fuck does a toilet explode?

    B. If they knew there was something wrong with it, a sign saying “out of order” takes 10 seconds.

    • Nollij@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      14·
      10 months ago

      This is seriously the only question that needs to be answered. Well, that and what the “previous incidents” means.

      Of course, we won’t get any answers until it plays out in court, and even then it’ll probably be settled quietly with no details released.

      • jballs@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        10·
        10 months ago

        Usually I’m against speculation in the news. But in this case, I feel like reporting “An employee told him that they were aware of the ‘problem with the toilet’ since there had been previous incidents, the lawsuit says, without diving into further details about the explosion” just doesn’t go far enough.

        If the company won’t provide an explanation, I say get ridiculous with it to force a response. Something like “some speculate the cause of the explosion to be linked to diarrhea allegedly caused by Dunkin’s new MIGHTY MACCHIATO.” Print that and let them correct you.

        • Nollij@sopuli.xyzEnglish
          5·
          10 months ago

          I’ve never thought of applying Cunningham’s Law to social situations before. I like it, but I can already see the disaster looming if it becomes commonplace.

    • CascadianGiraffe@lemmy.world
      10·
      10 months ago

      A crack or chip in the porcelain. When they finally give way, they can be dramatic about it. It’s not uncommon at all and can happen while not in use. Temperature changes can trigger it as well.

      Always replace a chipped or cracked toilet ASAP. Not worth the risk of mess or injury.

    • NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip
      6·
      10 months ago

      Speculation: I assume there are two potentials here

      1. Septic/plumbing issue has led to “burps” and sprayed feces. If you’ve ever plunged a particularly clogged toilet, you learn REALLY fast to still keep your distance because air WILL come back up and there will be splatter. The “explosion” in this case is a big air bubble causing the toilet soup to spray over and it is horrifying but nowhere near as dramatic as an “explosion”
      2. The toilet shattered with the weight of the plaintiff or some other freak accident occurred. Someone in the stall next door freaked out and complained while the plaintiff was pulling their pants on and questioning if life was worth living at that point. The overworked employee basically just said “Yeah, yeah, we know. The bathroom is fucked. Whatever”

      As for the sign:

      1. The toilet still flushes and this happens rarely. So it is easier to just leave the bathroom open rather than deal with angry customers all the time. Bonus points if that prick Todd is on clean up duty
      2. The sign went up shortly after the third employee had a chance to go back and see what was going on. Since the first two quit on the spot