A Case For Never Praying Near a Plate of Sizzling Fajitas

A man burned his face on a plate of sizzling fajitas while bowing to pray before dinner at Applebee's, and the state appeals panel has ruled that the restaurant does not need to compensate the man for the burns he suffered. According to the defendant, when he bowed his head close to the table to pray, he heard a loud crackling and then a popping noise before being burned on his face and left eye. The pain and shock of the incident caused him to knock the plate of fajitas onto his lap, resulting in more burns. None of these burns inflicted permanent scarring, so the lower court dismissed the case, describing the potential hazard as "open and obvious." The man appealed this ruling. Despite his account that the waitress did not warn him of the plate's temperature, the appeals panel agreed that "the danger posed by a plate of sizzling-hot food was self-evident."