A Florida girl was awarded $800,000 July 19 after she received second-degree burns when a hot McDonald’s chicken nugget fell on her leg.
Olivia Caraballo, who was four when the incident occurred in 2019, received the award after a jury decided in May that McDonald’s USA and its franchise operator, Upchurch Foods, were liable for the burns the child received at a McDonald’s restaurant in Tamarac, The Associated Press (AP) reported. (RELATED: McDonald’s Franchise Found Liable For Four Year Old’s ‘Chicken McNugget Burn’ After Drive-Through Order)
A South Florida jury awarded $800,000 in damages to a little girl who received second-degree burns when a hot Chicken McNugget fell on her leg as her mother pulled away from the drive-thru of a McDonald’s restaurant. https://t.co/9ElfD8SdZn
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 20, 2023
Caraballo’s mother, Philana Holmes, stated the injury occurred after she had purchased Happy Meals for her two children. As she was pulling away from the McDonald’s drive-thru, Caraballo began screaming in pain. It wasn’t until Holmes pulled over in the parking lot that she realized a hot chicken nugget had fallen on her daughter’s thigh and was wedged between the girl’s thigh and the seat belt, according to The AP.
Caraballo still has a scar on the inside of her thigh from the incident, with the family’s lawyers arguing the temperature of the nugget was above 200 degrees, the outlet stated.
McDonald’s reportedly contended the nugget was no more than 160 degrees and have stated Caraballo’s trauma ended when her wound healed three weeks after the incident.
“She’s still going to McDonalds, she still asks to go to McDonald’s, she’s still driving through the drive-thru with her mom, getting chicken nuggets,” defense attorney Jennifer Miller contended, according to the AP.
Miller argued $156,000 was enough to cover damages Caraballo received from her injury and not the $15 million in damages the family was seeking.
“She’s not bothered by the injury. This is all the mom,” Miller argued.
“I’m actually just happy that they listened to Olivia’s voice and the jury was able to decide a fair judgment,” Olivia’s mother, Philana Holmes stated, per The AP. “I’m happy with that. I honestly had no expectations, so this is more than fair for me.”