Exploding Toilet At FL Dunkin' Severely Injured Man, Lawsuit Claims

WINTER PARK, FL — A Florida man has filed a lawsuit against donut chain Dunkin', claiming he was injured and covered in urine and feces after a toilet exploded at a location in Winter Park.

Paul Kerouac filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Orange County court. Kerouac is seeking financial damages exceeding $50,000 after the Jan. 6, 2022, incident left him unable to enjoy life, according to the lawsuit.

Court documents said the incident happened when Kerouac visited a Dunkin' location at 2265 Aloma Ave. in Winter Park. According to the lawsuit, Kerouac suffered "severe and long-term injuries" when a toilet in the men's room exploded, covering Kerouac and the bathroom with debris, urine and feces.

According to court documents, Kerouac left the bathroom to seek assistance from store employees. The lawsuit claims employees told him they were aware of "the problem with the toilet" because of previous incidents.

As a result of the explosion, the lawsuit claims Kerouac required mental health care and counseling due to the "continuing trauma" from the event.

The lawsuit accuses Dunkin' of negligence and claims the business failed to maintain a reasonably safe environment for customers.

When contacted Thursday by The Associated Press for more details on Kerouac’s injuries, his attorney, Scott Spradley, said he was tied up and couldn’t answer the questions until the following day. The Canton, Massachusetts-based company did not immediately respond to an AP email seeking comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Editor's note: A previous version of this article stated the incident happened in Winter Haven; however, it happened in Winter Park. The article has been updated to reflect that. Patch apologizes for the error.