Walton woman says she drank 'chemical-laced coffee.' She's suing McDonald's for $13M

A DeFuniak Springs woman is suing McDonald's for $13 million after she says she was served a "chemical-laced coffee" that permanently scarred her throat.

Sherry Head was in the drive-thru line at the McDonald's in Dothan, Alabama, just across the Florida state line, on Dec. 21, 2020 when she ordered a caramel macchiato, according to a lawsuit filed on Sept. 19 in the Circuit Court of Houston County, Alabama.

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An employee told her they couldn't make coffee because the machine was being cleaned out, the complaint states. Then the lawsuit says she heard someone in the background say "no, it's ready to go."

'My mouth and throat went numb'

After tasting the drink, Head said she knew something was wrong.

"I took a sip, and immediately my mouth and throat went numb, then started burning. Now I have permanent scarring in my throat and may need corrective surgery," Head said in a news release from her attorneys with Baxley Maniscalco Attorneys at Law.

After taking off the lid, Head saw that the liquid was not coffee, but appeared to be some type of chemical, the compliant states. She pulled back through the drive-thru line and told employees what had happened.

According to the lawsuit, she heard the manager yell to employees inside the restaurant "I told y'all you have to be more careful about that." The manager then turned back to Head and told her it was "fine," the complaint said.

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She asked to see the bottle of the chemical and requested that McDonald's call 911 or poison control, but the complaint says the manager refused and "slammed the drive-through window."

Head then called 911 herself. When first responders arrived, the complaint says McDonald's again refused to provide access to the bottle so that poison treatment protocol could be initiated.

"It was terrifying," Head said in the release. "I drank a liquid chemical and it seemed like no one cared."

Head's lawyers say her doctors have diagnosed her with scarring and narrowing in her throat, difficulty swallowing, chronic gastritis, acid reflux and abdominal pain caused by inflammation and erosion of the stomach.

She may have to have surgery in the future to repair the damage done to her throat and preserve her ability to swallow, the release said. Head's lawyers say McDonald's has repeatedly ignored her requests for the business to "make this right" without litigation.

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This is not the first time, lawsuit says

The incident is the 10th publicly reported case since 2013 of a McDonald's patron being served a chemical in their beverage, according to the lawsuit.

A teen in Muncie, Indiana, was served cleaning solution in what he believed to be iced tea in 2013. And in 2016, a father and his 4-year-old son were hospitalized after drinking hot chocolate contaminated with disinfectant, the complaint states.

In response to each incident, McDonald's said it had taken appropriate action to investigate and remedy its cleaning procedures.

"For nearly a decade, McDonald's has been promising to improve safety standards to prevent its customers from being poisoned by chemical cleaning solutions; and for nearly a decade, McDonald's has failed to do so… it is time for McDonald's to change its ways," the complaint states.

Head is asking for $3 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages for "the harm and injuries she has suffered," the lawsuit states. She is also requesting a jury trial.

In a statement Tuesday, Gerry Murphy, owner and operator of the McDonald's in Dothan, said the restaurant is aware of the complaint and is conducting an internal investigation.

"The health and safety of our customers and employees is always a top priority," he said. "Immediately upon learning of this concern, we are conducting a thorough investigation to understand the facts."

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: DeFuniak Springs woman sues McDonald's over 'chemical-laced coffee'