This is topic McDonald's Sued for Maggot-Infested Cheeseburger in forum The Flameboard at Flare Sci-Fi Forums.


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Posted by BlueElectron (Member # 281) on :
 
http://home-news.excite.ca/news/r/010703/13/odd-mcdonalds-dc

McDick has done it again, first I heard some little girl was sueing them because she ate a burger with "half a rat's head" (where's the other half you ask? I'll leave that to your imagination!). I think she won the case a long time ago with couple millions?

Now, they got the maggot burger, man, there service are just keeping it up!
 


Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
 
Actually, in my freshman days we lovingly referred to McDonald's as McE. Coli's. I saw this story on the news tonight and they actually showed the remains of the cheeseburger in question with the maggots on it. Of course, this happened as I was eating dinner.

It's the stories like this that has made my thoroughly check all food I buy from a fast food restaurant before eating it.

To sum up my post in one sound effect: **vomitting profusely**
 


Posted by Jeff Kardde (Member # 411) on :
 
Yes, I can imagine that would suck. Maybe you can sue your TV station for broadcasting the report and making you lose your stomach ... ?

Anyhoo, the only fast food I eat is Subway. Mainly because you can watch them making it in front of you.

::shrug::
 


Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
 
You might be interested to know that I heard a story today reporting that Subway was forced to pay a kid several million dollars for giving him Hepatitis A.

[ July 04, 2001: Message edited by: Jay the Obscure ]
 


Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
 
Millions? Isn't Hep. A. reasonably treatable?
 
Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
 
Turns out that the kid had to have a liver transplant.
 
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
 
Glad to see that high paid American lawyers are still capable of describing things eloquently.

"Since this incident, he's been freaking out."

Dude.
 


Posted by Jeff Raven (Member # 20) on :
 
Don't get down on McDonald's too much. There are some things to consider.

1) Each one is a franchise, so the company doesn't own ALL the restaurants. They're usually owned and operated by small-time people.

2) I don't think McDonalds has an overall plan to make everyone eat maggot burgers and rats heads. These things just really suck for a company.
 


Posted by MeGotBeer (Member # 411) on :
 
JeffR,

quote:
1) Each one is a franchise, so the company doesn't own ALL the restaurants. They're usually owned and operated by small-time people.


Hah! Small-time people usually can't afford the franchise fee for a McDonald's resteraunt. Tack onto that the yearly fee to be allowed to use the McDonald's name, and it is NOT cheap to own or operate a McDonald's franchise.

Of course, maybe you meant people that live in the community ... and on that you would be correct. I went to high-school with a guy whose parents owned two McDonald's in the Columbia, Md area. They had a nice big house, but first they had to scrape the $$$ together to buy their first McD's, then wait until it started to turn a profit, then buy another ... and it was a very long process for them.

However, just because a McD is a franchise doesn't neccessarily mean that the corporate isn't responsible. Franchise stores get their products -- food, napkins, etc. -- from a central commissary, owned by, guess who? McD Corporate. While the maggots are probably a direct result of unsanitary conditions within one particular resteraunt, meat patties with "half a rat's head", or a batch of chicken nuggets with a "chicken's head" are the fault of the commissary.

quote:
I don't think McDonalds has an overall plan to make everyone eat maggot burgers and rats heads. These things just really suck for a company.

That's just common sense right there.

[ July 04, 2001: Message edited by: MeGotBeer ]
 


Posted by MIB (Member # 426) on :
 
How can anyone get Hep A via a subway sandwhich?
 
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
An excellent question. What, did they put infected blood on a sandwich instead of hot sauce? I think I would have noticed something like that BEFORE eating the sandwich.
 
Posted by BlueElectron (Member # 281) on :
 
My parents actually look into detail for "owning" a McDick.

You need 350,000 (Canadian $) for franchise fee alone, not to mention renting the place and other expenses.
 


Posted by MeGotBeer (Member # 411) on :
 
I'm a bit ignorant about how Hepititus is spread, however I don't think it's neccessarily spread via blood. My parents contracted Hepititus from a Wendy's ... luckily, it wasn't one of the serious strains of Hep and they were treated and are ay-okay now -- but, again, I don't think Hep spreads via blood.
 
Posted by MeGotBeer (Member # 411) on :
 
Vaccination Recommended For Children In High-Hepatitis States

Hepatitis A is a highly contagious virus that attacks the liver. Each year it infects up to 200,000 Americans. It is spread by the fecal-oral route through close person-to- person contact or by ingesting contaminated food or water. Symptoms can be debilitating and include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal discomfort, jaundice and dark urine. Infected individuals can unknowingly infect others 2 weeks prior to feeling ill themselves. It is estimated that up to 22 percent of adult hepatitis A patients require hospitalization. Approximately 100 people in this country die every year from this disease. For more details visit the MedicineNet.com Hepatitis Forum.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), routine vaccination of children is the most effective way to reduce the incidence of hepatitis A nationwide. The CDC is encouraging implementation of routine hepatitis A vaccination programs for children in 17 states; which have the highest rates of hepatitis A. The CDC has incorporated the recommendations of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) into the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) titled, "Prevention of Hepatitis A Through Active or Passive Immunization." These recommendations are in response to the continuing high rates of hepatitis A in the United States.

The CDC recommends a shift in its immunization strategy in order to reduce the rate of hepatitis A. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) 1996 recommendations on the prevention of hepatitis A focused primarily on vaccinating persons in high risk groups. People at high risk of developing hepatitis A include: travelers to countries with high rates of hepatitis A, men who have sex with men, injecting drug users, persons with clotting-factor disorders, persons with chronic liver disease and children living in communities with high rates of hepatitis A. The CDC's review of national hepatitis A rates and results from community-based vaccination programs indicate that continued implementation of ACIP recommendations would not result in vaccinating high risk populations and would therefore have a limited impact on the overall incidence of disease. To achieve a sustained reduction in hepatitis A, the CDC recommends a shift from the present immunization strategy to one that achieves widespread routine vaccination of children to prevent infection in these age groups and eventually among older persons as this population ages.

According to the CDC, the states with the highest incidence of hepatitis A account for 50 percent of the reported cases. It is estimated that hepatitis A health care cost more that $450 million dollars annually. Experts view routine vaccination programs for children as a cost- effective way to reduce the spread of this disease.

The highest rate of hepatitis A is among children 5-14 years of age. Almost 30 percent of reported cases of hepatitis A occur among children under 15 years of age. The reason children are at high risk is that they frequently come into close contact with other children in school and at daycare. Approximately 15 percent of reported cases of hepatitis A occur among children or employees in daycare centers. Hepatitis A infection in very young children can be mild or without symptoms. It can be easily transmitted to older children and adults who are likely to develop severe symptoms and may require hospitalization.

States With High Rates Of Hepatitis A

The October 1, 1999 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) sent out by the CDC addresses the ACIP's recommendation for routine hepatitis A vaccination for children in states where the average annual hepatitis A rate during 1987 to 1997 was at least twice the national average rate--or 20 cases per every 100,000 people. Eleven states fall into this category: Arizona, Alaska, California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah and Washington. The ACIP also recommends routine hepatitis A vaccination in counties or communities in any state where the average hepatitis A rate during 1987 to 1997 was at least 20 per 100,000.
 


Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
 
Summeries please, with links pointing to the source.......

Jeff, you are getting long winded these days...

and being a laughing man doesn't help.....
 


Posted by Nimrod (Member # 205) on :
 
I thought all of it was relevant.

Man, this place has dried up recently. Is everybody on vacation?
 


Posted by MeGotBeer (Member # 411) on :
 
I AM long winded. Laughing man? You mean, hahahahahahaha for two pages?

Nimmie, it's July Fourth, which is a huge holiday in the U.S. So it's a good bet the majority of the U.S. posters on the BBoard are out getting trashed & watching fireworks.
 


Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
 
Vacation, what is that??? 12 hours a day, sometimes 16, 7 days a week, sometimes 9....
 
Posted by Jeff The Card (Member # 411) on :
 
Well, we know Ritten isn't on vacation
 
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
 
Who has time for a vacation, man!? I have final exams tomorrow and Friday, man! All essay final exams! For International Relations and Ethics! I have to stress and have heart attack over this! No time for vacation, man!
 
Posted by Nimrod (Member # 205) on :
 
Well I did mean during the last couple of days, but I understand why people over there would be all happy and stuff and what have you and whatnot. We discussed it at work.

Also, I took the coffee mugs and put them in the washing machine. Then I turned it on and it was bliss.
 


Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
 
So long as there's going to be fast food chains, there will always be wierd and wonderful disease's that people are going to pick up along the way. (IMO) And there will always be the occasional "band-aid burger" or "secret spit wad sauce". I heard one guy found his Burger King burger already had a bite out of it. Guess those burger flippers don't make enough to get groceries.
 
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
There've also been more than a fair share of BOGUS lawsuits against these corporations, where people have tampered with their OWN food in order to sue the corporation for a bajillion dollars. Of course, these get settled, and the costs passed on to the average consumer.

That's what we get for living in an overly litigous society. Brought to you by the most powerful lobbying organization in the USA.

Not the NRA...
Not 'Big Oil'...
Not the AFL-CIO...

The Trial Lawyers' Association.
 


Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
 
i guess it's pretty easy to slip a band-aid into a burger, and sue the company for it. but what about E-Coli? or something else.
 
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
You've probably got e. coli in your shorts right now. (That's not intended as an insult... I probably do, too. e. coli comes with little particles of human waste... including when you phart. You can get it on your hands while wiping.. even if you don't touch the poo.)
 
Posted by Wes1701E (Member # 212) on :
 
Jack in the Box is where its at. They had that horrible incodent back in the late 80's, that almost put them right out of buisness.

So why do I trust them? Because they have the experience of going though a disaster like that. Burger King, Taco Bell, and McD's (for the most part) havent.

Anyway, Jack in the Box is like 20x better.
 


Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
 
I'm too tired to come up with a clever comment, but:

"phart"?
 


Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
 
Yes, Liam, pharts. You know, when you're drunk off your ass, pharts are really phunny!

:: rimshot ::
 


Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
 
Yuck. Jack in the Box does not equal good food by any stretch of the imagination. Even McDonald's bears more resembalnce to real meat...
 
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
 
Yeah, but their commercials are much better. If I see the "I speak Atlantean" one again I'll scream.
 
Posted by Dr Phlox (Member # 680) on :
 
Did you hear about the guy who sued McDonald's because hs coffee was to hot. And couldn't you tell they were maggot infested

[ July 27, 2001: Message edited by: Dr Phlox ]


 
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
 
Yes. No.
 
Posted by Jeff The Card (Member # 411) on :
 
Mark Warner for Governor.
 
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
 
Chances are, you may not notice the maggots until you take a bite. They'll likely be congregated at the middle of the burger, not at the edges. Unless you open the sucker up and check (which I've been doing since the Jack-in-the-Box and E Coli scare many many years ago), you probably wouldn't notice until you took a bite. One has to wonder about the help though if you can't notice that you're frying a slab of meat with maggots crawling on it.

And, actually, it was a woman who spilled her coffee that resulted in the award of $1 million dollars to her and McDonald's having to put warning labels on its coffee mugs. Let's forget that the woman was in her car and had the obviously hot coffee cup in her lap. : :

And there's the woman (I think, it may be a guy) who's suing McDonalds because a pickle fell out of his burger and landed on his chin causing "permanent disfigurement." : :
 


Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
 
quote:
which I've been doing since the Jack-in-the-Box and E Coli scare many many years ago

What are you expecting to find? "Aha! Just as I expected! Three bacteria!"

quote:
Let's forget that the woman was in her car and had the obviously hot coffee cup in her lap.

As much as I love a good three minute hate directed towards the legal system, we'd also have to forget that she was sitting in the passenger seat of an unmoving car. Which isn't to say that I think a million dollar settlement was justified, but then, there wasn't one awarded. She got 200,000 dollars in damages, reduced to 160,000 because the jury found her partially at fault, and 2.7 million in punitive damages, which were reduced to 480,000.

So, 680,000 dollars. Considering that she sufffered third degree burns over six percent of body (specifically, the genitals and thighs), I don't find it all that outrageous. Coffee is not supposed to be that hot. It isn't that hot when you make it. It isn't that hot in any other restaurant.

Of course, I also seem to recall that the woman and McDonald's made some sort of secret deal after all was said and done, for some undisclosed amount. But that's a decision of the company.
 


Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
 
Actually, Sol, I specifically check my food for bugs, hair, etc. and whether or not the meat is fully cooked or not. I tend to be very susceptible to food poisoning. An Ultimate Cheeseburger once made me very sick because (at 8 years old) I foolishly decided to eat it when I knew that the thing wasn't cooked enough. And with the JB E coli scare and the recurring stories about roaches, maggots, bandaids, etc. being discovered in fast food (even if some of it is urban legend), I tend to err on the side of caution.

I stand corrected on the monetary settlement of the McDonalds Coffee case, but I mean coffee is supposed to be hot. It's boiling water mixed with ground and roasted coffee beans. It's going to be hot. Hot liquid splashing about on skin is going to cause burns. Those little styrofoam cups are not going to insulate the heat radiating from the coffee. She obviously had to have touched that cup with her hands first. Unless she had sensory damage to her hand, she knew that the cup of coffee was hot. And she still chose to put it in her lap.
 


Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
 
Coffee's not generally meant to be boiling when served. If it was hot enough to cause 3rd degree burns, then it was too hot to be consumed. There is an expectation that fast food is prepared so that it can be consumed immediately. By not pointing out the fact that they will occasionally hand out their coffee at near-boiling temperatures McDicks was being somewhat lazy and inviting accidents like this. They weren't being the antichrist or anything, but I don't think that this was a case of a company being hurt by the stupidity of society. People tend not to be particularly mentally-focussed when eating fast food and shit happens, even to the best of us.
 
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
 
Okay, I concede the point.
 
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
 
I agree. That she probably was an idiot, but that she also deserved some kind of compensation. Not compensation of a few hundred thousand dollars though.

Personally, I'd be thrilled if I found magots in my burger. Okay, so it might make me throw up, but I'd get shit loads of money for it. It's a much fairer lottery than most. Even if you don't win, at least you get a burger for your money.
 


Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
 
Erm... If it was hot enough to cause third-degree burns through her clothing over that much of her body, wouldn't it have melted the cup before it had a chance to spill? Aren't third-degree burns the kind of burns you get when you light yourself on fire for extended periods of time?
 
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
 
Third-degree burns are the least harful, I thought. They only invovled damage to the outer skin layers. First degree burns are the ones that turn you into a human barbeque.
 
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
 
Actually, that's backwards, Liam. First degree burns are minor burns and affect only the outer layers of skin. Next are the second degree burns, and they affect the outer and inner layers of skin. Finally, there are the third degree burns which burn the outer and inner layers of skin plus the underlying muscles tissue. In some cases, the muscle tissue is burned all the way through to the bone. Third degree burns can also cause the vaporization of the outer skin layer which explains why infections are a constant worry for their victims.
 
Posted by Nimrod (Member # 205) on :
 
As I understand it, really bad burn injuries kill the victim by destroying the skin so that the water in the flesh leaks out and evaporates, killing the victim through acute dehydration.
Especially if the back has been exposed, that's a large portion of rather thin skin...
 
Posted by MorphStar (Member # 681) on :
 
Can you sue mcDonalds for getting a furby with your hamburger?
 
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
 
Thanks Jeff. I do also recall that there's an episode of Star Trek where someone apparently suffers "Fourth degree burns". Which probably means "reduced to a skeleton". IIRC, they still survived. Tsk.

I'm confused though as to how you can get third-degree burns from a coffee. Was it heated in a blast furnace?
 


Posted by Jeff The Card (Member # 411) on :
 
"Thanks, Jeff"

Um. For ... ?
 


Posted by Nimrod (Member # 205) on :
 
Also, in the X-files episode somewhere in Season II there was a british arsonist who killed people with rocketfuel.
He got some of his own medicine in the end, but had a supernatural resistance to fire, so after having had 80% of his body covered with ** degree burns (I remember Scully naming some two digit degree in her med report in the end) he had about a month or two left until full recovery.
 
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
 
I guess whether or not a hot cup of coffee depends on the person, the duration of contact between skin and hot liquid, the sheilding between skin and hot liquid, and the amount of hot liquid involved in the burn.

For an example, here's a link to an article over at Snopes Urban Legend Pages.

It's a gruesome story, so I'll summarize. A guy jumped into a boiling hot spring to save his friend's dog. He received third degree burns over 100% of his body since he dive into the hot spring and swam out to try and get the dog. He died shortly afterwards (as did the dog). His friend waded out into foot-deep water to pull this guy the rest of the way out of the hot spring. He received second degree burns on his feet.

The guy who tried to rescue the dog totally emmersed himself in boiling water for a long duration. His clothing provided no sort of a shielding. He received deadly burns. His friend, on the otherhand, spent about a minute of two with his feet in the water to pull him out. His shoes provided some shielding. Although his feet were immersed in the water, he only suffered second degree burns. The article doesn't say if those covers all of his feet or just parts. Those were the only burns that the friend got, which is kinda surprising considering his had to bend down and pick up his friend (who was still in the water and quite probably very hot as well). He should have burned his hands as well.
 


Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
 
The woman recieved such severe burns because:

A.) The coffee was quite hot.

B.) It quickly soaked into the polyester sort of pantsuit thing she was wearing, and was held close to the flesh.

C.) She was 78 (or 79), and couldn't get away from it.

I think the last might be most important. A younger person would leap away from boiling water applied to the gentitals. A normal one, anyway.

Of course, it isn't McDonald's fault that she was old. Which is why there is room for reasonable people to disagree over the outcome. But it bothers to me to see what's essentially the urban legend version of this incident get passed around as fact.
 


Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
 
Boiled alive? I'm not even gonna LOOK at that link. *shudder*

Evil McDonalds franchises have been in the news over here too:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4226793,00.html

. . . for child labour offences, this time.
 


Posted by MeGotBeer (Member # 411) on :
 
How this relates to McDonald's I don't understand:

RSPCA hits out over cat killer's pet ban
Staff and agencies
Guardian

Tuesday July 24, 2001

A mother-of-two who cooked the family cat in a microwave after one of the animal's fleas bit her on the leg yesterday escaped jail.

Nadine Trewin, 31, had admitted cruelly ill-treating female tabby cat Sasha at her home in Crawley, West Sussex, last March.

She was sentenced to a two year community rehabilitation order, and banned from keeping animals for five years, by Crawley magistrates.

The RSPCA, which brought the case hit out at the ban as "far too lenient". A spokeswoman said: "We feel she should have received a lifetime ban because the act was deliberate."

Trewin had changed her plea to admit cruelty during a trial at Horsham magistrates court last month.

The court heard that Trewin, who had drunk seven cans of lager and almost two bottles of wine, became angry with the cat when she was bitten by the flea.

Trewin had claimed the cat jumped into the microwave before the door accidentally slammed shut, activating the oven.

She said the cat had cooked for less than a minute, but then the animal failed to move so she tipped it out of the oven from the kitchen window. She later buried it in the back garden.

Two days later Trewin told her friend, Stacey Passmore, that she had killed the six-year-old cat. Miss Passmore was so upset she decided to contact the RSPCA.

Sentencing Trewin deputy district judge Kevin Gladwell said: "This was a quite a horrific incident. This cat clearly suffered at your hands."

Outside the court, a group of protesters gathered and placed a placard on the pavement which read "Nadine Trewin - Cat Killer".
 


Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
 
What. . . the. . . fuck?! I KNOW I was on the right page when I copied the URL, and I know it copied! Bloody Guardian online.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4231649,00.html
 




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