Wes Skiles' Widow Looking For 25 Million from Lamartek
- Thread starter tekkydiver
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I don't know about you, but I personally consider whiplash injuries - which are real medical events - a bit more deserving of economic compensation than does failing to understand that hot coffee causes burns if you spill it in your lap, not understanding that a container of glue marked "flammable" and "keep away from heat" can actually blow up if it's too close to a heat source, or failing to release your seatbelt when you drive with a BAC of more than twice the US legal limit for driving. But that may just be my weird ideas, of course.
undrwater
Contributor
Or you may be limiting your understanding to what the media chooses to report.
I understand the hot coffee incident in particular was not frivolous, but it was reported that way by the media at the time.
The problem with "frivolity", of course, is that it's one of those terms no one can agree upon.
For those who feel the system is broken, is there something better to replace it?
I understand the hot coffee incident in particular was not frivolous, but it was reported that way by the media at the time.
The problem with "frivolity", of course, is that it's one of those terms no one can agree upon.
For those who feel the system is broken, is there something better to replace it?
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I spent some time in the US in the mid-90s. I was more than slightly amused that the mickeyDee coffee cups were printed with the warning "Caution: Contents hot!" since AFAIK coffee cups didn't carry that warning on our side of the pond. Wow, hot? Well, I'll certainly hope it is; I'd be mighty disappointed if I bought a cup of coffee and the contents weren't hot. That it could be necessary to warn a coffee buying patron that their coffee actually was OMG!!! hot seriously boggled my mind.
Jack Hammer
Contributor
It's a poor choice of an example. Please read a summary of the basics of the actual case before using it as your argument for common sense... the coffee wasn't just "hot", it was served scalding hot to the point of near boiling. Even after several consumer injuries and complaints they continued to serve it that way. ☺
undrwater
Contributor
Not sure if those were the terms of agreement in that case, but I, as a consumer, don't generally expect an accidental coffee spill to cause 3rd degree burns.
If the water is so hot as to cause 3rd degree burns, I appreciate the warning (though "contents are hot enough to cause 3rd degree burns" would be much more informative).
If the water is so hot as to cause 3rd degree burns, I appreciate the warning (though "contents are hot enough to cause 3rd degree burns" would be much more informative).
What is the definition of hot?
A hot day may be 90° F. Many people pour hot water down their wet suits after a cold dive. The pancakes served at a restaurant should come to you while they are still hot.
Warned that something may be hot, we expect the definition of the term to depend upon the context. We do not expect the hot water poured into our wet suits to damage us, and if a dive operation poured boiling water down that suit, we would not react favorably when they said, "Hey, I said it would be hot." If you had to be hospitalized because a DM poured boiling water down your wet suit, how would you react?
When we put a "to go" lunch on our laps, we know there is a possibility it will spill. We know that if it does, it will be uncomfortably warm, and we will have to work to get a stain out of our clothes. We do not expect third degree burns. If it had been a case of of a malfunctioning coffee urn, it could be ascribed to an accidental overheating, but that was not the case. McDonalds intentionally kept its coffee at temperatures near boiling, far exceeding food industry norms, and it did it because it felt the flavor kept better that way. It had been warned that its temperatures were too hot and thus dangerous, but it intentionally ignored those warnings.
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When I make coffee at home, it may be close to 100C (212F). I know coffee can be hot enough to cause serious burns. I expect the same if I buy a cup in a cafe, I don't expect the cafe to provide non-scalding child- (or moron-) proof coffee. If I got scalded by my own carelessness, I'd rather deal with the issue than make it public that "I bought a cup of coffee, but I didn't realize it was hot".
undrwater
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