Posted on 09/15/2009 9:55:18 AM PDT by kingattax
Continuing this weekend's unintentional theme of "toddlers and food service," today we bring you the sad tale of a Quincy, Mass. 23-month-old whose parents are suing Dunkin' Donuts after he was burned by a hash brown. A hash brown that fell out of his mouth and onto his neck.
"It took only seconds for the extremely high temperature of the interior portion of the food item to severely burn and blister (Cullen's) skin," attorney Joseph K. Curran Jr. wrote in a complaint filed in Norfolk Superior Court.
Before handing the hash brown to her son to eat, the boy's mother, Robin, checked it and found it was "lukewarm," the suit states. The family claims the hash brown heated up "unevenly" and that the food's interior temperature was "unsafe for public consumption."
The family's attorney insists that this case is absolutely nothing like the infamous McDonald's scalding-hot coffee case, and have not yet explained what kind of amazing heating device cooks hash browns from the inside out.
Take responsibility for your own actions. This is stupid.
Microwave
That would be known as a “microwave.”
Frivolous lawsuit go.
}:-)4
Before I give any hot food to a toddler, I always break it open to let the steam out and allow it to cool sufficiently..this isn’t bad business, its lazy parenting!
Try buying lottery tickets, bottomfeeders.
> “It took only seconds for the extremely high temperature of the interior portion of the food item to severely burn and blister (Cullen’s) skin,” attorney Joseph K. Curran Jr. wrote in a complaint filed in Norfolk Superior Court
how about: “It took only a few seconds for the extremely money-hungry and sue-happy parents to see the dollar signs before their own child’s sake”
Why aren’t they feeding their kid better food than hashbrowns from Duncan Donuts?
Do microwaves cook food from the inside out?
No. Microwaves penetrate the food to a depth of 1 to 1½ inches. In thicker pieces of food, the microwaves don't reach the center. That area would cook by conduction of heat from the outer areas of the food into the middle.
Sounds like the guy who stuck his toddler’s finger through the screen on the front of an electric fan - he was looking to sue someone.
If I was one of these parents I’d be careful about filing a lawsuit against DD.
If the HB was so hot it burned his neck, it must have been hot when put into his mouth. I’d be concerned about the State filing a charge of Child Abuse against me.
They’d a sued if the food was cold too.
Stupidity = Criminal activity.
Seriously.
Not, however, that this justifies a lawsuit.
It boils water internally. That’s why hot dogs explode.
Why was there no warning label on the hash browns? /sarc
Idiot parents! It is YOUR jobs to make sure your toddler’s food is at a suitable temperature. Have they never encountered an item of food that was hotter on the inside than the outside?
As for uneven heating of food, this is basic parenting. Any good parent knows that microwaved food heats unevenly which is why you do not warm formula bottles in the microwave.
DUH.
Hey, if there can be killer tomatoes(remember that one)then a rogue potato is possible!
My guess is if you’re chucking Dunkin Donuts’ food down your 2-year old’s throat, “basic parenting” might not by high on your list of skill sets.
What about pointed sticks?
Agree. I also always taste-test whatever drink is brought to my kids (2 & 5 years old). My brother-in-law’s daughter ordered juice - and was given a screwdriver. No, he didn’t sue... but I’m very sure it wasn’t a pleasant experience for the folks running the restaurant.
Apparently not.
You’re right. Dunkin should bring in a representative from Child Protective Services if this ever makes it to court.
I want to see the family’s financials because it’s almost a sure thing they’re looking for a free payday to get themselves out of a jam.
“Hey Dunkin’ Donuts, DON”T SETTLE!”
Well... they can. Microwaves heat water. If the outside is dry and the inside is moist, like hashbrowns, the answer is, Yes. They heat whatever water or moisture is in the food.
To all the copmmenters about microwaves, I’m pretty sure all chain restaurants deep fry their hash browns if they’re in nugget form and cook them on a flat griddle if they’re in shredded/grated form.
A microwave would not produce a good quality hash brown.
is the world safe?
I prefer the comfy chair and every now and then a shrubbery. A nice one, not too expensive.
LMAO! Yep, it’s that simple.
That would be known as a “microwave.”
Not exactly. Dunkin' Donuts in recent years has used the Turbo-Chef toasting oven (Subway, the submarine sandwich people, use them, too), which isn't exactly a microwave system. And to the best of my knowledge (all you have to do is ask; or, work there, as did I for a time when unable for awhile to find work in my usual profession), it doesn't cook from the inside out.
That said, something about this litigation doesn't exactly pass the taste test . . .
Uh ... why the hell were you putting a hot piece of hash brown in a baby's mouth, parents?!
dunkin donuts. donuts. do-nuts. not dunkin hash browns, donuts. who orders hash browns at a donut shop? mom and dad are stuffing down chocolate covered, cream filled yummies and the kid gets nasty microwaved hash browns. buy the kid a donut and some milk.
Handing food that hot to a toddler is neglect on the parent’s part.
They're not interested in producing a good quality hash brown, just one you'll pay for.
They’re selling hash browns at Dunkin Donuts now? That’s great. The camel jockeys don’t even know what a long john is, and now they’ve added hash browns to the menu.
Sicking your finger into the blades on the front of a fan doesn’t cause injury, but STICKING one does.
Man...got me thinkin’ of those McDonalds deep-fried apple pies with the napalm inside.
No wonder they switched to baked.
OUr sick society on display. I would have been upset and maybe complained to the manager, but that is it. Sue? For what? The kids will heal and you will never see the mark in about 1 month. Greedy suckers.
It still heats from the outside in, even water.
That would mean it would heat the popcorn bag first. It heats the water first from the outside in. But if the water is trapped primarily on the inside, it gets heated.
Take a frozen block on hash browns that are dry on the outside and frozen on the inside. After nuking, it will begin to cool on the outside while remaining hot on the inside.
You have a point there. I think I will find all the information I can on this family, and save it for the boy. I can then show him how terrible his parents were, and make millions!!!!! Mwa-ha-ha-ha!!!
You are correct that the block of hash browns (if totally dry on the outside and heated all the way through) will cool from the outside in. That is the case whether heated in a microwave, conventional oven or fryer. Heat up soup in a microwave and it will always boil around the edges first. You need to stir it to heat it evenly.
There is no lawsuit here unless the jury is comprised of Obama voters looking to stick it to a big company... What are the odds?
There should be a significant penalty for frivolous lawsuits like this one. Might discourage other idiots from trying it themselves.
Who feeds their toddlers fried crap like this? They’ll discover it soon enough - I say feed them nutritious food while you can.
http://ripoffreport.com/Restaurants/IHOP/ihop-is-a-ripoff-that-doesn-t-8z46f.htm
On March 18, My family and friends family went to IHOP in Waldorf. We already had a problem because the place smelled like mold. My family used to visit IHOP frequently until this day.
We all ordered our food. I had ordered Biscuts and gravy. Well, the food came out and the woman was handing the food around so everyone’s hands were full. Next thing we know, she places the hot plate of biscuts and gravy in front of our toddle (15months at the time), of course we tried to grab the plate real quick, but before we could he put his right hand in it, thinking it’s his food. He starts screaming, the server walks away.
We were trying to get the gravy off of his hand. He burned his left hand trying to get it off himself. I ran to the bathroom and got a wet paper towel, the gravy just stuck to him. The server came over and we demanded the check and asked to speak to the manager. The manager then comes over and asked us what the problem is, so we told him what happened, not like he couldn’t hear it. We also told him that we want to leave and get him to the hospital, because his hands were bubbling.
The manager kept us at bay for almost 30 minutes. We told him we were leaving and then we got up to walk out. All of the sudden he gives us our check. We didn’t eat, and left everything on the table. We walked up to pay so we could finally leave. I asked him to write his name and the servers name down so I knew how to contact regarding his medical bills. He starts arguing with us, telling us our son had no business putting his hands in the food. I said ‘excuse me’ and he continues, 2 people were behind us, so I told him to let me pay my bill so I can get him to the hospital.
He then looks at the people behind us and tells them not to worry about their bill, and he was sorry for there inconvience. Really!! I just stood stunned, he then says, what the F*** is my problem, I told him to just let me pay my bill. After that he proceeded to call me a Bitch and told me to give him my F-ing bill. When I told him that he had it, he started up some more, so I said ‘that’s it’ I’m through, and walked out.
My son had to see his regular doctor the next day and she was overwhelmed by what happened. Unfortunately, there isn’t too much they can do for him because of his age and he’s small. She could only give him a ointment to apply when he feel asleep. By Friday of that week, he ended up with an infection in the blister; they were starting to pop.
After trying to contact IHOP for a month, someone finally calls me and asks that I have his doctor send a fax of his situation. She also makes the comment, “You need to understand that the server was only 17 and does not have children of her own.” They sent them one stating that he did recieve 2nd and 3rd degree burns to several of his fingers on both hands and would be scarred as a result. We didn’t hear anything more, so I sent numerous e-mails to IHOP, finally we contacted by their insurance company a month and a half ago. The insurance man came to our home and took pictures of his scars.
We were told that they would contact us asap as to how they will settle this. I still haven’t heard back. I just sent a e-mail telling IHOP that if this isn;’t resolved, I would turn this over to my attorney. I have given these jerks ample time to try to help the situation and the only response I get form them is, “it’s your son’s fault” and “sorry, but what do you want us to do?”. If I hear back, I will update this report as to what they want to do.
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