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Swiss court says spud stumble not restaurant's fault

The highest court in Switzerland's canton of Zurich told a woman who slipped and fell on a potato that the buffet restaurant is not criminally liable.

By Ben Hooper
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ZURICH, Switzerland, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A Swiss court tossed out a criminal complaint brought against a restaurant by a woman who slipped on a potato and mashed her elbow.

The 53-year-old woman filed a criminal complaint last year against the buffet restaurant in the canton of Zurich, alleging the eatery's negligence led her to trip on a potato and break her elbow on the floor.

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The local prosecutor ruled in January that no criminal investigation would be opened, but the woman pursued the matter to the canton of Zurich's top court, which ruled this week the restaurant was not at criminal fault for the woman's spud stumble.

The Tages Anzeiger newspaper reported the court told the woman it would be reasonable to expect food to fall to the ground at a buffet restaurant and customers should be expected to use "appropriate care and attention" while walking near the food tables.

The woman, who owes about $1,500 in court fees from the case, still has the option of appealing the case to the country's supreme court.

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