Coffee is a popular drink for many residents of Massachusetts. To meet the needs of the public, coffee-serving chains and restaurants will brew and keep hot coffee ready and waiting for the next request. When serving coffee, the stores try to make sure it is served just right: hot enough to please but not so hot that it harms the customer. However, serving the coffee at too hot a temperature may place the coffee in the category of unsafe food products.
Sometimes the best-known coffee chains may serve their products at too high a temperature, leading to a possibility of injury to customers. Recently, a Louisiana woman suffered burn injuries from the too-hot coffee served to her by an employee of a fast-food chain restaurant. The woman was burned when the employee of the burger chain did not properly close the lid of her coffee cup. The lid fell off, allowing the hot drink to spill on her, causing permanent scarring and mental anguish. She filed a personal injury lawsuit against the company.
Coffee burn injury cases are not uncommon. For instance, most people recall a 1994 case in which a woman sustained third-degree burn injuries due to the hot coffee served to her. In that case, the woman received $160,000 in damages. In another recent case, a Quincy, Massachusetts, the toddler was allegedly burned and scarred on the neck from contact with hot hash browns.
When restaurants negligently fail to ensure the safety of their consumers, they may be held liable for the injuries caused by their unsafe food products. Victims may be eligible to claim damages for the injuries caused, the medical expenses incurred, and pain and suffering.
Source: 3 News, “Burger King sued by a woman who claims coffee was spilled onto her through the drive-through window,” Kim Choe, Jan. 10, 2013
