A MAN who was injured when a seat collapsed under him at a Hungry Jack's restaurant in western Sydney has won $35,000 in damages from the fast-food chain.
Pierre Matouk, 50, suffered a severe back injury when a concrete and steel chair at the Warwick Farm store fell apart when he went to sit on it on August 10, 2008.
As a result of his injuries, he was unable to continue his work as a plumber's labourer.
In the NSW Supreme Court yesterday, Justice Jane Matthews ordered Hungry Jack's to pay Mr Matouk $35,000, as well as his court costs.
Justice Matthews quoted from a civil engineer's report of the outdoor seating area which noted the "unusually haphazard and somewhat eclectic methods" used to assemble the chairs.
She said the accident could have been avoided if staff at the store had regularly checked the stability of the chairs.
