"If you try to drive with a recently purchased cup of coffee in a styrofoam cup between your legs then you should forfeit the right to sue if you spill it"
Who was trying to drive? If memory serves, the lady who sued McDonalds was a passenger in her car. McDonalds sells this product through their DRIVE THRU, so obviously it SHOULD be safe if the car strikes a bump. It's not like she was attempting to steer the car AND drink at the same time.
Think about this for a minute--she had third-degree burns where it spilled on her. In non-medical terms, this means she spilled coffee in her lap and it BURNED HER SKIN OFF.
Frivolous lawsuits have a drawback, in they cause people to want to discount legitimate claims--such as this one.
NATEDOG:
I don't think anyone drank that stuff straight down the moment they bought it--sip it, let it cool, sip it again. But NOT drink it.
Take my word for it, if you drank 180 degree liquid you'd at the least suffer severe internal burns. You might well die. I work with hot liquids on a daily basis and 140 is hotter than is safe for prolonged contact. 120 is hot enough to cause burns to delicate skin. 150 will rapidly burn even a hardy individual. 180 is excessive, no way around it.
Yes, her dollar award was excessive. Yes, another useless label on the side of the coffee cups isn't doing anybody a favor. That doesn't change the fact that McDonalds was serving a needlessly dangerous product.
J_A_B
BTW, people who "boil" water on their kitchen stove are NOT drinking 200+ degree water. I don't feel like explaining thermodynamics here so if you're further interested find a book on it.
