Re: lawsuit madenss

[jack@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Jack Hagerty)]

From: Pottree@domain.elided

>No matter what the particular facts of the coffee-scalding case as presented
>top the court and jury, you have to wonder about someone who is licensed to
>drive but also doesn't know a fresh cup of coffee is HOT and is supposed to be
>hot. I wonder if the burned woman sticks her hand under the steam spout of 
>an espresso machine to see is the steam is hot enough or unscrews the 
>radiator cap to plunge in a finger to ascertain whether her coolant level 
>is low.  Legal culpability aside, how is it someone so plainly deficient in 
>brains, as well as common sense, can earn a license to drive on the same 
>highways and byways where my own family may be taking their life in their 
>hands?

Not wanting to prolong this thread, but there are two facts about this case 
that no one has mentioned yet to try and moderate this sort of outburst:

1) She was quite elderly, in her late '70s or early '80s

2) She did not want to use (or perhaps did not understand) the "sip
   holes" in the lid of the cup and wanted to pry it off. Being quite
   frail, she didn't trust her grip to hold the cup and placed the
   cup between her legs to hold it while she pried on the lid. When 
   the lid came free, the cup collapsed and disgorged its contents all
   over her lap causing rather severe burns over her lap and groin area.

None of this, IMHO, seems to point to McD's as the culprit. Someone who
doesn't understand that placing a paper cup between your legs and prying 
on the lid might cause the contents to spill all over you shouldn't be 
allowed out in public unsupervised. I don't know whether or not she was 
the driver (I suspect not at that age) or whether the car was moving.

- - Jack

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| Jack Hagerty                |                                             | 
| jack@domain.elided   |                                             |
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