December, 2023 – On June 26, 2020, our 45-year old client, a county social services employee, was operating her car through the drive-through lane to secure her morning beverage order, as was her habit. A video of the incident documented a store employee negligently placing napkins and two large hot beverages in an unsafe manner in a low, carton serving tray before handing it to our client. As she took the tray into her vehicle, the top of one cup, large hot tea, came loose and spilled on her lap. The scalding hot water pooled around her vaginal, perineal, and anal areas as she sat in the driver’s seat of her car. She immediately reported the incident to the store manager, and sought emergent care at the Saint Barnabas Burn Unit. Although her skin-burn injuries healed, she developed debilitating and unrelenting pelvic floor muscle dysfunction, including local nerve damage, voiding and defecatory dysfunction and dyspareunia, for which our urological expert opined she will require ongoing lifelong pelvic floor injections and physical therapy treatment. She was disabled for 12 weeks from work, and incurred over $6,750 in out of pocket medical expenses.
HABLAMOS ESPAÑOL