Slip on freshly mopped floor leads to lawsuit against Neosho McDonald's

Neosho McDonald's is at a fault after a Neosho woman was injured when she fell on a "freshly mopped floor," according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in Newton County Circuit Court.

Elizabeth Teonna Plappert, Neosho, who is represented by Keegan Tinney of the Joplin firm of Dreyer & Tinney, LLC, is asking for "fair and reasonable damages" and is asking for a jury trial.

Listed as defendants are LBJ-Neosho LLC doing business as McDonald's and two Jane Doe defendants, the manager and the mopper.

From the petition:

On or about January 27, 2026 Plaintiff was on the premises as a customer and invitee of the Defendants.

As Plaintiff entered the lobby, she fell backwards on the freshly mopped floor that had become slippery from the soapy water.

Defendants knew, or by exercising ordinary care, could have known of this dangerous condition.

The fall of Plaintiff, and her resulting injury as below described, was the direct and proximate result of the negligence of the Defendants in failing to use ordinary care, to wit:

a. Defendants failed to instruct employees on properly mopping floors;

b. Defendants failed to put up signage to alert others of the slippery conditions;

c. Defendants knew, or in the exercise of ordinary care should have known, that by not completely clearing the parking lot and sidewalk would create a dangerous and hazardous condition and that patrons such as Plaintiff would fall and be injured as a direct result; and

d. Further, Defendants, as operators of the premises, knew or should have known, that the type, kind, and condition of the area would create a dangerous and unreasonable risk of harm to Defendants’ patrons, yet the Defendants failed to keep the area free of hazardous conditions.

As a direct and proximate result of the aforesaid negligence, carelessness, faults, and omissions of Defendants, as set out above, Plaintiff sustained bodily injuries that included a fracture to her sacral vertebrae, extreme pain and suffering, past, present and future, mental anguish, humiliation, and inconvenience.

Plaintiff has incurred and will continue to incur a substantial sum for injury-related medical care and treatment.

Plaintiff has also suffered a loss of enjoyment of life in that her activities have and will continue to be limited by the injury.