IT should have been a family celebration, but a ‘loose-fitting’ lid on a takeaway cup brought the party to an end for a four-year-old Long Sutton girl when she was covered in scalding coffee.
Holly Norton suffered surface burns to her left arm and was rushed to hospital for treatment.
Now mum and dad, Sarah and Marcus, want to warn other parents – and staff serving hot drinks – to make sure lids are put on correctly.
The couple had taken their son, Thomas, to McDonald’s in Long Sutton to celebrate his 11th birthday with family and friends.
Sarah (38), of The Chase, said: “I had taken a tray with seven drinks on it over to the table where Holly was colouring. As I put it down, the cup of coffee wobbled and when I grabbed it, the lid flew off and coffee went all over her. It just wasn’t put on right.
“I picked her up and took her to the counter and the staff took her into the back, got her shirt off and got her arm and chest in water immediately.
“We can’t fault how they treated her when it happened. But I want to highlight how dangerous these hot drinks can be. All I want to do is stop this happening to another child.”
Sarah’s mother-in-law Maureen Wadham drove them to hospital, while Marcus stayed in McDonald’s so Thomas didn’t miss his party.
Holly was treated for surface burns and was discharged with her arm bandaged.
Sarah said: “The nurse said she was very lucky the burns were not more severe. Fortunately the coffee had come out of a machine so the temperature was controlled – and it was white, which cooled it further.
“Marcus was given a replacement coffee and he shook it to see if the lid would come off and it wouldn’t budge. So the lid on the cup that went over Holly couldn’t have been on right.”
Since the incident, the family have been back to McDonald’s to have the meal they missed.
Sarah said: “The staff really made a fuss of Holly and she was showing off her bandages. She’s recovering well and we hope there won’t be any scarring.”
A spokesman for McDonald’s said: “We are deeply sorry for the injury Holly sustained and hope she makes a speedy recovery.
“The safety of our customers is our priority and we apologise for the distress this caused.”
“We’ve reiterated to staff the importance of serving hot drinks safely to help ensure this doesn’t happen again.”