Starbucks Burn Injury Attorney

If an act of negligence caused you to suffer a burn injury at Starbucks, you can sue the coffee chain for your economic and emotional damages. Negligence can be a difficult concept to understand, but in layman’s terms, it means that the business failed to exercise reasonable caution, which could have prevented your accident. When it comes to a coffee chain, there are various safety measures that are in place to prevent burns and other injuries from hot beverages:

• Ensuing that cup lids for hot drinks are tight and secure.
• Making sure to use a cup sleeve to protect hands and fingers, thereby preventing burn injuries from dropping a cup that’s too hot.
• Properly securing cups inside coffee carriers so they don’t tip over or fall out – this is a leading cause of drive through burn accidents. 
• Labeling cups with safety warnings, like “Caution: Contents Hot.”
• Not placing hot beverages within a child’s reach.
• If handing an order to a customer, not letting go of the carrier or cup until the customer is securely holding it.

There are many other practices that can keep customers safe at a Starbucks. So why do these places fail in their duty of care so often? In most cases, employees are rushing to get orders out, as most Starbucks locations are packed from morning till night. This is particularly true with drive through orders, which are supposed to be faster than waiting at the counter. Managers may also provide poor training or retain employees that continue to engage in unsafe practices.

The option to order drinks “extra hot” is another contributing factor to burn accidents among customers. Basically, hot drinks at eateries are supposed to be served at around 150 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit. But a Starbucks coffee or tea can be served at around 190 degrees F if the customer asks for it to be extra hot. This request is usually made by people who are not going to drink their beverage right away.

Starbucks has a habit of putting the blame back on the customer if they are burned by an extra hot order. Of course, there is merit to the argument that one voluntarily placed the order, thus they should have been more careful. But Starbucks isn’t off the hook if there were precautions they could have taken to prevent someone from getting burned. This is due to the fact that California operates under the system of pure comparative negligence. That means each side is assigned a percentage of blame for the accident. Thus, even if you are partially responsible, you can still be compensated based on the percentage of liability that’s assigned to Starbucks.

At the end of the day, liability for your accident and your right to sue Starbucks are complicated issues. Our attorneys will thoroughly investigate your case and bring you every penny of the damages you are owed.

We understand why so many people ask this question, since most of us touch something hot and burn ourselves at some point in our lives. Thankfully, most of these burns are minor and heal with over-the-counter treatments. But having hot coffee or another beverage spilled on you is a completely different matter. According to the Developmental Disabilities Administration, 85 to 90% of scalding burn injuries comes from hot drinks and food, especially coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.

The severity of your injury is based on the degree of burn you’ve sustained, which fall into one of 4 categories:

First degree – First degree burns cause superficial damage, meaning they do not penetrate the outer layer of skin (epidermis). The burn site will appear red and dry, and there will be pain, which usually goes away after 2 to 3 days. Some people may experience skin discoloration in the long run, like darkening or lightening of the injury site.  

Second degree burn – Second degree or partial thickness burns penetrate the epidermis and cause damage to the lower layer, known as the dermis. The patient will experience redness, significant pain, swelling, and blistering.

Third degree burn – This kind of burn is extremely serious, as it can penetrate down to the innermost layer of your skin. The epidermis and dermis will be completely destroyed, causing the area to look white, or black with a charred appearance.  

 Fourth degree burn – These are the worst degree of burns you can suffer. The damage goes all the way into the muscles and bones, which causes permanent damage to the nerves. You will have no sensation in or around the burn site since your nerve endings are destroyed.

Treatments for a burn injury depend on how badly you are burned, and how much of your body has been affected. Antibiotics, skin grafts, anxiety medications, and plastic surgery may be needed over a long period of time, which can put a heavy burden on your finances. Thus, it’s essential to work with an attorney who can bring you maximum compensation from a Starbucks burn injury lawsuit.

A burn injury lawsuit against Starbucks is meant to compensate you for a series of damages that have resulted from your accident. These damages vary somewhat from person to person, but they generally include:

• Medical expenses 
• Lost income, including future lost wages for severe injuries
• Pain and suffering 
• Mental anguish
• Property damage 
• Legal fees

Based on the degree of negligence by Starbucks, you may be awarded punitive damages. We mentioned punitive damages earlier in this article in reference to the McDonald’s hot coffee case. The plaintiff was awarded $2.7 million, which was not something she asked for. Rather, McDonald’s was ordered to pay this amount as a form of punishment for their outrageous conduct (i.e., intentionally serving dangerously hot coffee to save themselves money). If these damages apply to your situation at Starbucks, you can count on us to make a strong and effective case on your behalf. For a thorough discussion of the losses you are entitled to, contact us and schedule a free case evaluation.

A burn injury affects people in different ways, so it’s impossible to provide a universal settlement value that would apply to these cases in general. However, we know from experience that the degree of burn has a lot to do with how much a victim will receive from a successful lawsuit against Starbucks. If the burn is superficial and does not result in long-term complications (first degree burns), the settlement value may be as low as $10,000. But most people that are scalded by hot liquid have second to third degree burns, which are very serious injuries. These burns penetrate to the under layers of your skin and may cause damage to the bones, muscles, and nerve endings. Possible settlements for these accidents can range from $50,000 to over $1 million.

If you’re wondering why there is such a big range in case values for second to third degree burns, there may be a number of reasons. The percentage of a victim’s body that was burned is a crucial factor. The impact of the injuries on their career and personal life is important as well. The location of the burn can also be significant; burns to the face, for example, will bring in higher settlements than a burn injury to your lower back. Based on the severity of long-term complications the victim has to deal with, such as permanent scarring, nerve damage, and PTSD, a burn injury award may be several million dollars.

There’s no way to predict the amount of time it will take to settle a burn injury case against Starbucks. Some of our injury claims were settled within 3 to 6 months, but the timeline is typically longer for cases with serious burns. Just the medical bills in these cases can exceed $50,000, and that’s not counting the victim’s lost wages, pain and suffering, and other qualifying damages. You can expect resistance from Starbucks when that much money is involved, so the process of recovering your payment can take up to 18 months. If a lawsuit is necessary due to the company’s continued resistance, resolving your injury case may take 2 or more years.

The law gives you a limited amount of time to seek compensation from a party that has injured you. For a Starbucks burn injury case, you have two years from the date of your accident to sue the coffee chain. The statute of limitations can also begin on the date you discover an injury from your accident, as some injuries do not appear right away. Beyond the discovery rule, there are very few exceptions to the deadline imposed by the court. Thus, if you don’t file your lawsuit within the two-year window, you may permanently lose the right to seek damages from Starbucks. Our lawyers can ensure that your lawsuit is filed on time, so please don’t delay in giving us a call.

Were you or a loved one injured from a burn accident while you were at a Starbucks? Burn injuries are often underestimated, but they can cause serious, lifelong complications. Please go to the ER or an urgent care facility right away if you were burned due to a restaurant’s careless or negligent conduct. Once you’ve been treated for your injuries, contact our attorneys to learn about your rights and legal options.

You may be hesitant to seek legal advice if you’re familiar with the McDonald’s “hot coffee incident” from 1992. Stella Liebeck, the plaintiff in that lawsuit, was ridiculed for many years by people who believed that her claims were frivolous. How could she not know that coffee is hot? Why wasn’t she more careful? In actuality, McDonald’s was serving their coffee at dangerously high temperatures, which was uncovered during the trial. They did this because it took people longer to finish the coffee, thereby reducing the number of refill requests. The jury was not impressed with the fast food giant’s cost-cutting strategy and awarded Ms. Liebeck punitive damages in the amount of $2.7 million.

This case illustrates the importance of standing up for your rights and demanding compensation if Starbucks is responsible for your injury. A lot of victims think that they can work out a fair settlement on their own, but most of them end up with denied insurance claims or payments that only cover their immediate medical expenses. With representation from one our attorneys, you can obtain the full value of your losses resulting from a Starbucks burn injury accident. Call DTLA Law Group and schedule a free case evaluation.

If an act of negligence caused you to suffer a burn injury at Starbucks, you can sue the coffee chain for your economic and emotional damages. Negligence can be a difficult concept to understand, but in layman’s terms, it means that the business failed to exercise reasonable caution, which could have prevented your accident. When it comes to a coffee chain, there are various safety measures that are in place to prevent burns and other injuries from hot beverages:

• Ensuing that cup lids for hot drinks are tight and secure.
• Making sure to use a cup sleeve to protect hands and fingers, thereby preventing burn injuries from dropping a cup that’s too hot.
• Properly securing cups inside coffee carriers so they don’t tip over or fall out – this is a leading cause of drive through burn accidents. 
• Labeling cups with safety warnings, like “Caution: Contents Hot.”
• Not placing hot beverages within a child’s reach.
• If handing an order to a customer, not letting go of the carrier or cup until the customer is securely holding it.

There are many other practices that can keep customers safe at a Starbucks. So why do these places fail in their duty of care so often? In most cases, employees are rushing to get orders out, as most Starbucks locations are packed from morning till night. This is particularly true with drive through orders, which are supposed to be faster than waiting at the counter. Managers may also provide poor training or retain employees that continue to engage in unsafe practices.

The option to order drinks “extra hot” is another contributing factor to burn accidents among customers. Basically, hot drinks at eateries are supposed to be served at around 150 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit. But a Starbucks coffee or tea can be served at around 190 degrees F if the customer asks for it to be extra hot. This request is usually made by people who are not going to drink their beverage right away.

Starbucks has a habit of putting the blame back on the customer if they are burned by an extra hot order. Of course, there is merit to the argument that one voluntarily placed the order, thus they should have been more careful. But Starbucks isn’t off the hook if there were precautions they could have taken to prevent someone from getting burned. This is due to the fact that California operates under the system of pure comparative negligence. That means each side is assigned a percentage of blame for the accident. Thus, even if you are partially responsible, you can still be compensated based on the percentage of liability that’s assigned to Starbucks.

At the end of the day, liability for your accident and your right to sue Starbucks are complicated issues. Our attorneys will thoroughly investigate your case and bring you every penny of the damages you are owed.

We understand why so many people ask this question, since most of us touch something hot and burn ourselves at some point in our lives. Thankfully, most of these burns are minor and heal with over-the-counter treatments. But having hot coffee or another beverage spilled on you is a completely different matter. According to the Developmental Disabilities Administration, 85 to 90% of scalding burn injuries comes from hot drinks and food, especially coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.

The severity of your injury is based on the degree of burn you’ve sustained, which fall into one of 4 categories:

First degree – First degree burns cause superficial damage, meaning they do not penetrate the outer layer of skin (epidermis). The burn site will appear red and dry, and there will be pain, which usually goes away after 2 to 3 days. Some people may experience skin discoloration in the long run, like darkening or lightening of the injury site.  

Second degree burn – Second degree or partial thickness burns penetrate the epidermis and cause damage to the lower layer, known as the dermis. The patient will experience redness, significant pain, swelling, and blistering.

Third degree burn – This kind of burn is extremely serious, as it can penetrate down to the innermost layer of your skin. The epidermis and dermis will be completely destroyed, causing the area to look white, or black with a charred appearance.  

 Fourth degree burn – These are the worst degree of burns you can suffer. The damage goes all the way into the muscles and bones, which causes permanent damage to the nerves. You will have no sensation in or around the burn site since your nerve endings are destroyed.

Treatments for a burn injury depend on how badly you are burned, and how much of your body has been affected. Antibiotics, skin grafts, anxiety medications, and plastic surgery may be needed over a long period of time, which can put a heavy burden on your finances. Thus, it’s essential to work with an attorney who can bring you maximum compensation from a Starbucks burn injury lawsuit.

A burn injury lawsuit against Starbucks is meant to compensate you for a series of damages that have resulted from your accident. These damages vary somewhat from person to person, but they generally include:

• Medical expenses 
• Lost income, including future lost wages for severe injuries
• Pain and suffering 
• Mental anguish
• Property damage 
• Legal fees

Based on the degree of negligence by Starbucks, you may be awarded punitive damages. We mentioned punitive damages earlier in this article in reference to the McDonald’s hot coffee case. The plaintiff was awarded $2.7 million, which was not something she asked for. Rather, McDonald’s was ordered to pay this amount as a form of punishment for their outrageous conduct (i.e., intentionally serving dangerously hot coffee to save themselves money). If these damages apply to your situation at Starbucks, you can count on us to make a strong and effective case on your behalf. For a thorough discussion of the losses you are entitled to, contact us and schedule a free case evaluation.

A burn injury affects people in different ways, so it’s impossible to provide a universal settlement value that would apply to these cases in general. However, we know from experience that the degree of burn has a lot to do with how much a victim will receive from a successful lawsuit against Starbucks. If the burn is superficial and does not result in long-term complications (first degree burns), the settlement value may be as low as $10,000. But most people that are scalded by hot liquid have second to third degree burns, which are very serious injuries. These burns penetrate to the under layers of your skin and may cause damage to the bones, muscles, and nerve endings. Possible settlements for these accidents can range from $50,000 to over $1 million.

If you’re wondering why there is such a big range in case values for second to third degree burns, there may be a number of reasons. The percentage of a victim’s body that was burned is a crucial factor. The impact of the injuries on their career and personal life is important as well. The location of the burn can also be significant; burns to the face, for example, will bring in higher settlements than a burn injury to your lower back. Based on the severity of long-term complications the victim has to deal with, such as permanent scarring, nerve damage, and PTSD, a burn injury award may be several million dollars.

There’s no way to predict the amount of time it will take to settle a burn injury case against Starbucks. Some of our injury claims were settled within 3 to 6 months, but the timeline is typically longer for cases with serious burns. Just the medical bills in these cases can exceed $50,000, and that’s not counting the victim’s lost wages, pain and suffering, and other qualifying damages. You can expect resistance from Starbucks when that much money is involved, so the process of recovering your payment can take up to 18 months. If a lawsuit is necessary due to the company’s continued resistance, resolving your injury case may take 2 or more years.

The law gives you a limited amount of time to seek compensation from a party that has injured you. For a Starbucks burn injury case, you have two years from the date of your accident to sue the coffee chain. The statute of limitations can also begin on the date you discover an injury from your accident, as some injuries do not appear right away. Beyond the discovery rule, there are very few exceptions to the deadline imposed by the court. Thus, if you don’t file your lawsuit within the two-year window, you may permanently lose the right to seek damages from Starbucks. Our lawyers can ensure that your lawsuit is filed on time, so please don’t delay in giving us a call.

Our lawyers are ready to assist you with a free second opinion if you’ve filed an injury claim with help from another attorney. Sometimes, clients have doubts about what their lawyer is telling them and need advice from another professional. Others have more serious problems with their legal representative and wonder if finding a new lawyer is in their best interest. We are happy to review your case and provide you with an honest assessment based on our decades of experience in the field of personal injury law. The second opinion is completely free, and you are under no obligation to transfer your case to us.

We know the pressure that victims are under when they’re struggling to recover from an accident. Advice from a knowledgeable attorney is crucial to getting paid for the harm you’ve suffered, but the cost of representation should not be your responsibility. That won’t be a problem here at DTLA, since our attorneys work on contingency. We offer a Zero fee guarantee, which means you pay nothing upfront to retain our services. Our fees are paid by Starbucks at the end of your case, along with your compensation award.

A lawyer experienced in burn accident injuries is available to speak with you, so please don’t hesitate to give us a call.

Our lawyers are ready to assist you with a free second opinion if you’ve filed an injury claim with help from another attorney. Sometimes, clients have doubts about what their lawyer is telling them and need advice from another professional. Others have more serious problems with their legal representative and wonder if finding a new lawyer is in their best interest. We are happy to review your case and provide you with an honest assessment based on our decades of experience in the field of personal injury law. The second opinion is completely free, and you are under no obligation to transfer your case to us.

We know the pressure that victims are under when they’re struggling to recover from an accident. Advice from a knowledgeable attorney is crucial to getting paid for the harm you’ve suffered, but the cost of representation should not be your responsibility. That won’t be a problem here at DTLA, since our attorneys work on contingency. We offer a Zero fee guarantee, which means you pay nothing upfront to retain our services. Our fees are paid by Starbucks at the end of your case, along with your compensation award.

A lawyer experienced in burn accident injuries is available to speak with you, so please don’t hesitate to give us a call.

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