MUNCIE, Ind. (Feb. 2, 2015) – A Muncie teenager is suing a McDonalds restaurant, claiming a drink he ordered contained bleach or cleaning solution.
In the lawsuit, filed January 27 in Delaware County circuit court 1, the teen says the incident occurred in late August 2013. He pulled his cup with what he thought was iced tea and immediately “began to vomit and feel a burning sensation in his chest” from drinking “bleach and/or a cleaning solution.” The complaint for damages claims the teen suffered unspecified permanent injury, and incurred medical and hospital expenses.
Language in the complaint says the teen suffered “the loss of a whole and useful life.”
Attorney R.T. Green, of the Indianapolis law firm Blackburn & Green is representing the teen and his parents. The parents are also listed as plaintiffs in the case. The lawsuit says since the incident occurred, the parents have “lost the services and love and affection of their child.”
Muncie-based Terhunes Inc., which owns and operates the McDonalds restaurant located at 500 East Charles Street, is named as the defendant in the case. The complaint asks for a jury do determine appropriate damages.
News of the case came as a surprise to longtime customers at the restaurant.
“I’ve never had a problem before,” said customer David Smith. “And I’ve never heard of anyone having a problem before.”
Fellow customer Drew Rowland spent years working in the fast food business. He says it’s common for beverage containers to be washed with a bleach cleaning solution.
“Maybe when they put the stuff in there, they lifted up the nozzle to pour it out,” Rowland said. “But when they rinsed it, they didn’t lift up the nozzle to rinse the tubing.”
The lawsuit does not shed light on why it was filed a year and a half after the alleged incident.
Terhune’s Inc. did not return a message seeking comment on the case.
