Meet Richard Tulecki. He's a dude who got hurt at a Hollywood, Florida Burger King. But don't feel too bad. My man got paid! Forget about playing the damn lottery, my friends, 'cause apparently all it takes to score some serious dough is slipping on a wet foreign substance and landing your butt in the right courtroom!
According to the Daily Mail, Tulecki, this spry 48-year-old thrill-seeker, decided to put his agility to the test at a Burger King joint in Hollywood Florida back in July 2019. Little did he know that destiny had a slippery surprise waiting for him by the restroom. The universe must've aligned 'cause this guy went down faster than a greased pig on an ice rink. This was all thanks to some mysterious wet stuff chilling on the floor.
Now, Tulecki isn't one to let an opportunity slide, so he took this mess to court, pointing fingers at the burger behemoth for either creating the conditions or just ignoring 'em like a teenager ignoring their chores. His lawyers argued that Tulecki suffered some nasty lower back injuries that needed surgery. Which then got even messier with a post-op perforated colon. Damn, talk about a double whammy!
This Florida Burger King Whopper of a Settlement:
You'd think a big shot like Burger King would put up a solid fight, but their legal defense was flimsier than those damn paper crowns they hand out. They had the nuggets to claim that Tulecki couldn't prove the management knew about the bathroom predicament.
To add fuel to the fiery courtroom showdown, one of the doctors who testified earlier did a complete 180 in a deposition, saying he couldn't really connect Tulecki's injuries to the fall. Way to throw your own damn patient under the bus, Doc!
But here's where the story gets juicy, my friends. The jury, bless their souls, put the crown on Burger King's head and held them 100 percent responsible for Tulecki's mishap. They threw stacks of cash at him, coughing up almost $700,000 for medical bills alone, and then topped it off with a mind-blowing $6.77 million for the pleasure of his pain and suffering. That's one expensive Whopper!
Now, Burger King isn't ready to take this beatdown lying down. They're gearing up for round two, hoping for a new trial to reverse this epic slip-up.
Update: Richest Billionaires In Florida In 2023
We know in the state of Florida there’s a lot of wealth and if you’ve ever wondered, in 2023, who the richest billionaires are in the state, you’re about to find out.
Imagine a life where money is no object. Where luxury and extravagance are the norm, and where your wildest dreams can come true with the swipe of your 'black card'. Welcome to the world of the super-rich. The other day I drove by The Boathouse in Fort Myers and there were some mega yachts tied up at the dock. I thought to myself "I would be very comfortable on one of those". Ahhh, a girl can dream. And I'm sure some of these billionaires have more than one!
The United States is the richest country in the world and home to more than billionaires than any other country in the world as well. Being a billionaire is the ultimate dream for many people. Think about how different traveling, for instance, would be if you were super rich. Forget crowded airports and cramped seats. You could set off in your private jet to exotic destinations at a moment's notice. And sipping champagne at 30,000 feet doesn't sound so bad either.
You may wonder what kind of industries these billionaires made their money in. Really, it’s just a few: finance & investments, technology, food & drink, fashion & retail and media & entertainment.
I put together this same list in 2022, but it has changed slightly in the new year. Using data from Forbes, Stacker put together a list of the richest billionaires in Florida in 2023. Some are even right here in SWFL.
