A teenage girl who suffered horrific burns after spilling hot coffee on her hand at a McDonald’s drive-thru claims the ‘inhumane’ staff did not give her medical assistance.
18-year-old Aereta Mohi ordered two coffees from a McDonald’s drive-thru in Palmerston North, New Zealand on August 17. She said the long black coffee was so hot that the cup’s shape changed and caused the lid to fall.
Mohi said the staff ‘just stood there and watched’ after the coffee spilled on her hand before giving her napkins.
In an interview with Daily Mail, Mohi said she refused a cup holder for the two coffees as she wanted to use the built-in holders in her vehicle.
“I grabbed the mocha and put it down and then I took the long black, which was really hot,” Mohi said.
“I was trying to rearrange some stuff to make room when the lid popped off. The cup had kind of melted in and the lid popped off, so I tried to catch it.
“But the coffee just spilled from my knuckles right down my whole palm. It just burnt my whole hand.”
She said that the staff gave her a replacement coffee and napkins to clean up but no cold water or ice to treat her skin.
“The lady was just standing there and watching me. She also gave me a bit of attitude because she thought I was taking too long,” she continued. “I tried to quickly park up and waved my hand in the air to cool it down. I went inside to use the bathroom and pour cold water on my hand.
“Even the cold water was bubbling when it touched my hand and felt hot.”
A spokesperson for McDonald’s said the staff were not alerted to the incident when it occurred, adding that the complaint has been treated very seriously, including a review of exterior and interior CCTV.
“The customer and their family were invited to come to the restaurant and view the CCTV and discuss the incident. The restaurant believes the CCTV shows the lid being removed from the cup by the customer, before it was spilled,” the spokesman said to stuff.co.nz.
He also said that they have ‘first aid trained staff on every shift.’
The spokesman added: “Part of our barista training is to ensure takeaway cup lids are fitted properly, and there are warnings on cups that the contents may be hot. Cup carriers are also offered, but in this case were declined.
“The management also checked if the customer made an ACC claim, which they hadn’t at that stage.”
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Replaced!