Waterslide Blues

In case you weren't familiar with the infamous hot coffee McDonald's case, it occurred in 1994 and is often cited as a frivolous lawsuit. But given all of the facts, was it truly a frivolous lawsuit? A 79-year-old woman spilled McDonald's coffee on herself in February of 1992 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In the process of opening the cup of coffee in a parked car in order to add cream and sugar, she spilled the entire cup on lap. She went into shock and had to be hospitalized for 8 days due to the severity of her burns- 6% of her skin had 3rd degree burns and 16% of her body had lesser burns. Following her hospitalization, she required 3 weeks of care and was partially disabled for two years following the incident. Does that sound frivolous, or like McDonald's was heating its coffee well beyond acceptable temperatures for a drive through drink (between 180- and 190-degrees Fahrenheit)? The woman's lawyer believes that the media coverage of the incident portrayed a serious event as a frivolous lawsuit due to political and corporate influence, but that was in no way what actually happened.

Much like the lawsuit against Disney today. In October of 2019, a woman sustained injuries at the Typhoon Lagoon water park and is suing Disney for the injuries she sustained. As she went down the waterslide, her one-piece swimsuit slid up and water was forced inside her. The woman had to be hospitalized and was ultimately transferred from a local hospital to another one for the repair of her gynecologic injuries. She became airborne close to the end of the slide and was slammed downward against it, making it likely that her legs would have come uncrossed even if she had crossed them at the beginning of the ride. Doesn't sound as funny when the extent of the injuries is described, does it? This may be the next big case of a non-frivolous lawsuit being described as a frivolous issue for both political and corporate driven reasons. Whether or not the family stands a chance at winning their lawsuit remains to be seen, but it is hopeful, as the woman in the hot coffee case won her lawsuit.

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