McCormick & Schmick's Defendant in Negligence Complaint Filed by Former Ocean City, NJ Police Lieutenant

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., Dec. 15, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- It took only one sip of draft beer at McCormick & Schmick's restaurant for retired Lt. Richard Washart to know that he had been poisoned. But the former Ocean City Police Department veteran of 25 years, and active emergency medical services professional still can't believe how close he came to death as a result of drinking beer drawn from a tap system line that contained a powerful caustic cleaning solution.

"I will never forget November 6, 2012, and how one minute we're celebrating the success of our emergency medical services operation at the restaurant and then I'm violently throwing up blood, my mouth and stomach are burning, and I'm then hospitalized for one week," recalls Mr. Washart. "In my 25 years of police work, and during my time as a paramedic, I never saw anything like what happened to me at McCormick & Schmick's in Harrah's Atlantic City."

Married to Cynthia, a nurse and the father of two college students, Mr. Washart continues to receive regular treatment for his injuries that includes the erosion of about 25% of his stomach lining, according to his doctors. Determined to ensure that what happened to him never happens to another patron of any restaurant or bar, the Washart's retained the D'Amato Law Firm to investigate the events that led to his poisoning and hold those responsible fully accountable.

"Based on our investigation, and reflected in the Complaint," said Paul D'Amato, Esq., "we determined that Mr. Washart was seriously sickened and permanently injured due to the fact that the beer tap system at McCormick & Schmick's was improperly maintained, including failure to purge the highly toxic cleaning solution from the line through which Mr. Washart's draft beer was poured." He added, "It was a poisoning waiting to happen and randomly it happened to Richard Washart," stated the Egg Harbor Township-based litigator.

Mr. Washart said he hopes restaurants, bars, and beverage-servicing companies take their responsibilities to the public more seriously.

"I will never forget, not just the incredible burning sensation from my mouth to my stomach, but also being told how I could have died from drinking that beer," he said. "Two years and countless doctor visits later, I only wish it were a bad dream. It is a nightmare with which I live every day."

The case (Superior Court of New Jersey – Atlantic County / ATL-L-5789-13) is scheduled to go to trial next year. Meantime, Mr. Washart says he remains committed to continuing to serve the community through his work in emergency medical services.

SOURCE D'Amato Law Firm