THE FAMILY of a pensioner left injured after she fell over at a McDonald’s restaurant in Portsmouth say they may sue the fast food giant.
Joyce Pigott, 69, of Fratton, broke her hip after she tripped on a mat as she walked into the restaurant in Commercial Road.
She was out with her niece Karly Reid, 22, and Karly’s boyfriend Alan Cooper, 24, when the incident happened around 11.30am on Monday, February 18.
They rang her son Jason Pigott, 37, to complain because they were unhappy about the way employees dealt with the situation.
They claimed staff were slow to help, never offered Mrs Pigott a drink while she lay on the floor and didn’t think to call 999.
Mr Pigott, of Southsea, said: ‘When I found out what happened my first thought was whether mum had been badly hurt.
‘I asked Karly if there were staff taking care of her and she said they didn’t come to her aid straight away.
‘It was a good five or 10 minutes after the accident happened before the staff checked her over.
‘I know places like McDonald’s get busy and the staff can’t always see what is going on but surely they should have investigated quicker what was going on.
‘I personally want to take legal action.
‘I think it’s something that needs to be done because McDonald’s has neglected its responsibilities.’
Mrs Pigott – who is known as Joy – was taken in an ambulance to Queen Alexandra Hospital.
She is currently recovering from surgery.
Mrs Pigott was using a walking stick when the accident happened.
Her family say she tripped because the mat was curled up. But McDonald’s says there wasn’t a problem with it and workers offered to call for an ambulance before someone else did.
A McDonald’s spokeswoman said: ‘We can confirm an incident took place at our Portsmouth restaurant.
‘Our restaurant team swiftly reacted to the incident and offered the customer in question their full support.
‘We were sorry to learn of her injury and wish her a speedy recovery.’
A spokesman for South Central Ambulance Service said: ‘We got a call about a 69-year-old woman who had fallen over and couldn’t move her leg.
‘Falls are potentially serious to people that age.’
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