- A US woman sued McDonalds after hot fries caused mouth and tongue injuries in March
- The complaint alleges employees served overheated fries without adequate safety warnings
- Injuries reportedly caused permanent damage and severe mental anguish requiring medical aid
A US woman has sued fast food giant McDonald's after she allegedly sustained "serious and severe" personal injuries after being served scalding hot fries. The incident took place in March earlier this year when New York resident Catherine Luongo visited the McDonald's outlet across the street from Manhattan's Bryant Park and suffered mouth and tongue injuries.
Luongo blamed the incident on unnamed employees who "failed to provide her with a safe order of fries," according to the civil complaint filed on July 21, obtained by The Independent. She said the fries were "overheated" and not safe for human consumption.
The complaint states that McDonald's employees should never have been permitted or allowed to serve the extremely hot and overheated fries that may have caused injuries that are "permanent and lasting". Additionally, she was not given ample warnings of the dangers to be encountered when consuming the fries.
Apart from the physical harm, Luongo endured a severe shock to the nervous system, causing her mental anguish. The complaint added that she was forced to seek medical aid and attention and pay for it herself.
Previous Instance
In 2023, a Florida family was awarded $800,000 (Rs 6.9 crore) after a flaming-hot McDonald's chicken nugget fell on the thigh of a little girl, leading to second-degree burns. Four-year-old Olivia Caraballo had gone with her mother, Philana Holmes to a Tamarac McDonald's where they bought the Happy Meal. After receiving the food from the drive-thru window, Ms Holmes passed it along to her daughter and son in the back seat and drove away.
According to court documents, Ms Holmes did not realise at first why her daughter was screaming in the back. Upon pulling up into a nearby parking lot to help the child, she noticed the burn and took photos on her iPhone, which included audio clips of the child's screams.
After a lengthy court battle, the family was awarded $400,000 (Rs 3.4 crore) for the suffering and mental anguish suffered in the past four years, as well as $400,000 for the future.
