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If I ordered a drink to consume and it was (intentionally!) almost boiling, not only is that reckless and wildly unsafe, it's neglectful. I order Starbucks and

If I ordered a drink to consume and it was (intentionally!) almost boiling, not only is that reckless and wildly unsafe, it's neglectful. I order Starbucks and gingerly sip my coffee, expecting it to be quite hot. If it literally gave me second or third degree burns, I would also sue and so would you. "Hot things are hot" is a naive defense of an intentional and malicious act (literally to get people to order fewer refills) that dismisses the fact that there is a threshold where the item is dangerous.

freedomben 5y ago
AFAIK the plaintiff didn't get second or third degree burns from sipping the coffee. It spilled on her lap. Might have been a defective cup or maybe her fault, idk I haven't researched it enough to say, but I'm pretty confident it wasn't just from gingerly sipping.
- bastawhiz 5y ago
  It was a combination of factors, including the coffee being intentionally way too hot. The coffee was hot enough to give third degree burns in a couple seconds: you don't need to drop that in your lap to get burned.
  - robonerd 5y ago
    All coffee served hot is hot enough to cause 3rd degree burns in seconds, particularly to children and the elderly who have thinner skin that burns quicker. >The severity of tap water scalds depends on the temperature of the water and the length of time the skin is exposed. Human exposure to hot water at 140°F can lead to a serious burn within 3 seconds, whereas at 120°F a serious burn takes about 10 minutes. Because thinner skin burns more quickly, children and older adults are at increased risk. Young children are disproportionately affected by scald burns, as approximately 21,000 children are treated for scald burns from all causes each year, and scald burns represent an estimated 65% of burn hospitalizations for children ages 4 and under. Hot tap water causes nearly 25% of all scald burns and is associated with more scald burn deaths and hospitalizations in children than any other hot liquid. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3605550/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3605550/

freedomben 5y ago

AFAIK the plaintiff didn't get second or third degree burns from sipping the coffee. It spilled on her lap. Might have been a defective cup or maybe her fault, idk I haven't researched it enough to say, but I'm pretty confident it wasn't just from gingerly sipping.

bastawhiz 5y ago
It was a combination of factors, including the coffee being intentionally way too hot. The coffee was hot enough to give third degree burns in a couple seconds: you don't need to drop that in your lap to get burned.
- robonerd 5y ago
  All coffee served hot is hot enough to cause 3rd degree burns in seconds, particularly to children and the elderly who have thinner skin that burns quicker. >The severity of tap water scalds depends on the temperature of the water and the length of time the skin is exposed. Human exposure to hot water at 140°F can lead to a serious burn within 3 seconds, whereas at 120°F a serious burn takes about 10 minutes. Because thinner skin burns more quickly, children and older adults are at increased risk. Young children are disproportionately affected by scald burns, as approximately 21,000 children are treated for scald burns from all causes each year, and scald burns represent an estimated 65% of burn hospitalizations for children ages 4 and under. Hot tap water causes nearly 25% of all scald burns and is associated with more scald burn deaths and hospitalizations in children than any other hot liquid. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3605550/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3605550/