Do you remember the lady that spilled McDonalds Coffee?

[Caustic Burno]

Horse Syht if she hadn't wanted the money she would have never sued for it.
As far as her age goes she should have been smart enough by decades not to be playing with hot coffee in the car.
More I am a victim and my ship is about to come in.

Did you watch the video?
She was not playing with the coffee. It spilled when she was trying to get it open to drink it.
Did you read her letter to McDonalds asking for help for paying her $10K hospital bill and McD's offered her $800?
That is why she sued. To cover her medical expenses. The jury decided the amount that was awarded, not her.

Some of these remarks that folks have made are very callous. How would you all have felt if a member of your family was as seriously harmed as she was by a simple cup of coffee that was so hot that the shock of the burns caused the person to pass out and had to be rushed to the ER.

What if it had spilled on a young child by accident. Would you still feel the same way?

The point is that yes, coffee is hot, but it should not be so hot as to cause bodily injury. McDs brews it at such high temps to extract every last little bit of coffee out of the bean. Not just to make a good cup of joe.

Yes I would.
Your argument it should not be so hot to cause injury, then she should not be able to buy a gun, knife or drive an automobile
they can all cause bodily injury as well.
There a measure of common sense here.
You can bet this was not the first cup she bought there.
Never was problem then only after she spilled it.
She knew it was hot you would think and was opening it in a car.
I am sorry the lady hurt herself but the fault is hers.

 

[Alan]

I agree chippie, all you have to do is watch the first five minutes of the video. McDonald's employees are required to keep the coffee at 180 to 190 degrees, 20 degrees hotter than home coffee makers, 10 to 20 degrees below boiling. McDonald's showed that they had many cash settlements to past customers who had suffered burns do to their coffee being extremely hot. In the video McDonald's stated that 1 out of 24,000 customers spill their coffee, and they did not consider that a high enough liability to warrant lowering the temp of their coffee. McDonald's knew the risk with their coffee, but the return on sales was greater than the risk they presented their customers.

The lawsuit was bought forward to help with medical bills, the jury determined the the amount of the settlement. She got many times more this she wanted.

 

[heath]

I don't understand putting the responsibility on McDonalds when the lady opened up the cup to drink it when there is a hole in the lid to drink out of. everyone knows that McDonalds coffee is hot, if you do not like it that hot ask them to put ice in it. personal responsibility is exactly that taking responsibility for your own person and your actions, people are always trying to blame another for their own mistakes, regardless of how bad those mistakes might be.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I agree chippie, all you have to do is watch the first five minutes of the video. McDonald's employees are required to keep the coffee at 180 to 190 degrees, 20 degrees hotter than home coffee makers, 10 to 20 degrees below boiling. McDonald's showed that they had many cash settlements to past customers who had suffered burns do to their coffee being extremely hot. In the video McDonald's stated that 1 out of 24,000 customers spill their coffee, and they did not consider that a high enough liability to warrant lowering the temp of their coffee. McDonald's knew the risk with their coffee, but the return on sales was greater than the risk they presented their customers.

The lawsuit was bought forward to help with medical bills, the jury determined the the amount of the settlement. She got many times more this she wanted.

The temp is irrelevant as scalding happens at 120 degrees.
So once liquid is above that temp it is going to scald your ass.
What is difference if she made a cup at 160 degrees at home and spilled it in her lap she was still going to be scalded.
So with that logic she needs to sue Mr.Coffee.

 

[M5farm]

personal responsibility is the key here. If I go buy a new truck with 600hp and after I sign the papers I mash the gas and drive into traffic. Who is responasable? dealership or me? she bought and paid for a cup of hot coffee and it belongs to her, what she does with it is her own choice.

I was involved in a law suit where I was a manager of a grocery store and someone(snowbird) dropped Pecan shells on the floor and another (snowbird) claimed she slipped and fell. we did not sell Pecans in the hull. But we had to pay 50,000 because it had not been swept up. It did not matter that the floor was swept 30 min before.

 

[greybeard]

That was rather callous of you, not to follow those snowbirds around and make sure the floor is clean in front of their every step--don't ya think?

 

[M5farm]

That was rather callous of you, not to follow those snowbirds around and make sure the floor is clean in front of their every step--don't ya think?

I would have loved to have beat every one of them with that broom. There will be a special place in He!! for snowbirds.

 

[Ouachita]

This world is a dangerous place. I did not watch the video. I know it prompts an emotional response. That is a problem with our legal system. The sentimental jury has damaged this nation. A sentimental jury is what the prosecuting attorney needs for these type cases . I would rather stick with facts, even when I am deeply troubled by the event. Is it possible to feel compassion for this elderly woman and know what is right at the same time? Is it possible for our legal system to distribute blame? It is not, because attorneys would not have the challenge of "winning". Officers of the court they are. There is still more to this story than we will know.

 

[Ouachita]

I made a mistake. I was hauling an airplane back from Johnson City, TN. I had stopped at a choke-n-puke and got some snacks for the road. It was really nice weather and I had the windows down while on the interstate highway. I opened the bag of "RED HOT" peanuts. I was dumping them in my mouth, happy as a cold hog in warm mud. The wind coming through the open windows blew some of the dusty contents of the peanut package in to my eyes. I was blind. I don't remember how I managed to navigate my way to the shoulder of the intersate highway. Somehow I managed to get my rig, trailer and all, out of traffic. It could have been worse, for me and others.
There is no way in he!! those peanuts should/could have been that hot, but they nearly cost me and others our lives. If I had an accident that day, could I have blamed it on the nuts? Should I have blamed it on the nuts? The folks who made them knew I was going to open them in the truck with the windows down, and spill the contents.
Life is too short to blame others for risk that are around us everyday all day long. This is not about the temperature of the coffee. It is about personal responsibility and this should follow everwhere we go.

 

[greybeard]

Yeah, just like the coffee lady, you coulda blamed it on the loose nut----the one located between the steering wheel and the seat back.

 

[Shantilly]

you guys sure are missing the point on what she was trying to do... she didnt give a dang about the money... the media twisted everything around and made her out to be a money grubber... and she wasnt..she was trying to get McDonalds to lower the serving temp of the coffee... sorry being an avid coffee drinker.. i dont need my coffee so hot it causes 3rd degree burns.. i'm happy with 2nd degree ones tyvm... that was her only reason for filing the suit.. not the money...

 

[greybeard]

She filed the suit because she spilled the coffee and wanted medical bills covered by McD. Period.
Getting the temp of the coffee lowered was the strawman argument.

 

[Tim/South]

McDonalds never admitted how hot the coffee actually was, just that they serve it hotter than normal.
The lady went into shock before they got her to the hospital. Her skin peeled off. Yes, the temperature of the coffee matters. It was near boiling point to do the damage to this lady it did. She had to have skin grafts. The pictures are not a sentimental or emotional tactic. They are evidence of what this lady endured.

If we are going to compare this to guns, then a gun designed to blow up when fired would seem to be acceptable by some. We have standards in most areas to protect the user of the product. McDonalds admitted they knew the standards yet elected to ignore them.
She was not scalded. She had third degree burns and her skin peeled off when they removed her clothing in the ER.
Her suit was only to cover what her insurance and medicare would not. I can easily see how the jury was furious over what McDonalds caused by intentionally serving coffee that would cause a person's skin to peel and expose muscle.
Note that McDonalds stated they intentionally served coffee at a temperature well above industry standards to appeal to a larger customer base.
Who was being greedy?

 

[Ouachita]

Agree to disagree. I don't think the temperature of the coffee should be on trial. At what temperature should the line be drawn. I know I'm stubborn on issues involving personal responsibility. I hate to see her injuries. I feel sorry for her. It was sad and could have been prevented by due diligence on HER part moreso than McDonalds. The sentimental jury has destroyed this country. A lot of products and services come with risk. The consumer should assume all responsibility for their decisions. I know, my way assumes a certain degree of intelligence. We all make stupid mistakes. I gave a personal example above, and GB is right; there was a loose nut behind the wheel.
Merry Christmas to all.