Florida Parents Awarded Nearly $1 Million After Daughter Severely Burned by Hot McNugget

The parents of a 4-year-old, who was scalded by a hot McNugget, were awarded $800,000 after a jury found McDonald's and its franchisee liable, as Local10 reported.

The family sued the fast-food chain for $15 million after claiming their daughter was severely burned by a "dangerously hot" chicken McNugget, which she dropped between her thigh and the car seat belt at a drive-thru in Florida in 2019.

McDonald's and its franchisee, Upchurch Foods Inc., were both found liable for their failure to warn about "foreseeable risks of harm". The franchisee was found negligent, the outlet reported. The jury did not find either company liable for additional allegations.

Philana Holmes, the mother of the victim, testified in court that she was her daughter's "voice" and that her child still picks at the scar left by the hot McNugget.

"The Chicken McNuggets inside of that Happy Meal were unreasonably and dangerously hot ... and caused the victim's skin and flesh around her thighs to burn," the lawsuit stated.

Defense for the chain and the franchisee argued that the temperature of the McNugget is required to be at a certain level to abide by food safety regulations, and that control over the food item is relinquished once it leaves the drive-thru window, the outlet reported.