A Vernon woman is suing McDonald’s for nearly $10,000 after she spilled her hot latte on herself causing severe burns.
According to the Notice of Claim, filed Jan. 17, 2020, Inna Turchin’s coffee spilled because the McDonald’s employee failed to put the lid on properly.
“When I attempted to drink (it), hot latte spilled over my chest and abdomen burning my skin and ruining my outfit,” she wrote, noting the employee was negligent.
She suffered burns to her breast and abdomen area during the Nov. 4, 2019, incident and was advised by doctors at the Vernon Jubilee Hospital to take several days off work.
Now, Turchin is suing the restaurant giant for pain and suffering, lost wages, medical costs and $380 to replace the handmade baby alpaca cardigan she was wearing at the time of the spill.
“Burns were on such a sensitive area of my body that made it difficult to sleep,” Turchin recorded on the Notice of Claim. “I had blisters on my breasts and abdomen which turned into seeping wounds.”
“It limited my ability to function and concentrate on the job, do activities or exercise enough.”
Turchin said the burns left scars that are darker than her natural skin pigmentation and she worries they will be permanent.
Nearly 30 years ago, McDonald’s awarded then 79-year-old Stella Liebeck $640,000 after she sustained third-degree burns to the pelvic region after spilling a too-hot cup of coffee ordered from a restaurant in the United States. The Liebeck v. McDonald’s Restaurants case made international headlines and was the focal point of an HBO documentary called Hot Coffee.
ABC News called that case “the poster child of excessive lawsuits.”
Turchin has filed in small claims court and is seeking $8,000 for pain and suffering and $1,250 in lost wages on top of the nearly $400 for the sweater and $50 for medical expenses.
McDonald’s Restaurants has yet to reply to the Notice of Claim.
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