Woman burned by McDonald's coffee wins $12,000 award

BELOEIL, Que. - A McDonald's restaurant near Montreal has agreed to pay a woman more than $12,000 after hot coffee spilled onto her leg, causing serious burns.

Marie-Josee Piquette, a 911 operator in Beloeil, Que., was herself the focus of an emergency call on May 27 when a cardboard tray buckled at the drive-thru window, sending three scalding beverages splashing into her car.

She had driven to the fast-food outlet on her lunch break to pick up coffee for two colleagues. The tray gave way as the clerk passed a salad and three beverages through the window.

"I was stressed out," Piquette told QMI Agency shortly after she reached her out-of-court settlement.

"I asked someone to call the office. When I got out of my car, I had to lean on it. I was on the verge of passing out."

She said no one from the restaurant called 911, and that their offer of three free coffees did little to dull the pain. Her scars are still visible five weeks after the incident.

"I had to be transported by ambulance for second-degree burns," she said.

The mother of four missed a week of work and had to visit a local clinic for daily dressing changes. She sent McDonald's a lawyer's letter on June 9 demanding $12,313.24. The restaurant's insurance company recently honoured the request.

Piquette is pleased with the outcome, saying the restaurant was clearly at fault.

"McDonald's was irresponsible," she said. "An accident can happen everywhere, but people have to accept the consequences."

The supervisor at the McDonald's branch told QMI that the coffee-scalding was unfortunate, and that he's never seen anything like it in his 30 years in the business.

From: torontosun.com